Pearl Drops: Visions of Ice
by ashehole
Summary: Book 2. Meet the newest Daughters: Torrence: an adopted child, Auriella: a spunky cheerleader, Hailley: a drama queen, and Blaze: an African American goth. A different power, a different persona, a different hope.
1. Prologue

**AN: Hey, guys! I'm back with the 2nd Pearl Drops book. Hope you enjoy.**

**Summary: Torrence Hudson is an adopted child with a hard life. She feels as if she has no one, even though she has great friends and a wonderful boyfriend. Then she meets Chris, her twin brother, and so many great and terrible things begin to happen. She has two enemies, Cassandra and Tymmie, who want her dead because of her parents. She can't sort out her visions enough to discover the fourth Pandora Daughters. Robert turns out to be not as wonderful as she first thought. To top it all off, she is visited by Hekate, who tells her of a prophecy she is involved with. Like the leader of the Daughters of the Moon didn't have other things to deal with.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the DotM. I do, however, own Torrie, Ella, Hail, and Blaze. I also own Robby, Chris, Anthony, Miranda, Vange, Tiberius, Ariel, and Gissele. And, basically anyone else who is made up is mine.**

**Prologue**

_The Dark Goddess looked into the faces of the sleeping children in the crook of her arms. In her left was an infant girl, an infant boy in her right. They snuggled up to her, knowing that she was their mother._

_She lifted her eyes, watching the fire. She hugged the babies close to her as she stepped forward into the flames. The cold washed over her and the babies, who began to wake and cry, feeling the cold flames against their skin and in their tiny bodies._

Id quod factum est, infectum esse potest. _She repeated it over and over until the immortality burned from her children._

_Their father stepped up to the Dark Goddess, taking the girl. Her bright blue eyes reflected his face as she watched him carefully, gurgling. He smiled at her. Dangling a ring around on a silver chain, he placed it around her neck, feeling it clank against a moon amulet. A gift from Selene._

_The goddess stroked her son's cheek softly. This was hard for her, giving up both children. She took off her necklace and wrapped it up in his blanket with him. The boy yawned, and the goddess was overcome with a vision._

Her children would be far more important than anyone could ever imagine.

_The father looked at the goddess before stepping back into the shadows. She knew it was time to let her son go._

_Robert stepped forward, and she handed her son to him. He bowed his head respectfully to his goddess before taking the boy to a family she had said would care for him._

_The father left his daughter on the steps of an orphanage, tucking a note in the folds of her silky black blanket._

Her name is Torrence Margaret.

_He silently promised her that he would always look out for her._


	2. Vision

**Part One: Mirror Image**

**Chapter One: Vision**

_The shadows melded with the light, and the tortured cries rang in her ears. Then she knew. Those weren't the tortured cries of people caught between this feud. They were her cries. She was the one caught between the shadows._

_The darkest shadow rushed towards her again, and she had no way of protecting herself. She didn't have the strength to save herself. A guardian pulled out from the light, rushing to her side. She could feel the strength from the light as it pulled her away from defeat, away from the darkness._

_They stood side by side. They stood against the shadow. But the shadow knew them. She cried out again as the war of dark and light raged on within her. This was the only thing her guardian couldn't protect her from…_

_…The ice grew steadily, frosting and thickening. She watched it, amused, horrified. This had never happened before. Her ice had never grown on its own. The frost cleared from the middle as she touched it. She looked into her creation's reflective screen and saw the stone of Pandora._

_She watched as the black cleared and she saw herself with Ariel as they stepped inside a house. Could this have been when she had blacked out? Her head felt fuzzy…_

Torrence Hudson cried out softly as she finally woke up. Her body was cold, drenched in sweat from her nightmare, and she was shivering. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to purge her mind of the battle. Tears leaked to the corners of her eyes when she opened them. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to talk to someone.

Torrie turned on her side and reached for her phone. She dialed the numbers for Auriella's cell phone. Auriella Saratoga had been her best friend since forever. The Saratoga family was like her real family. Torrence had been adopted at birth, and her adoptive parents--Mark and Kristina Hudson--treated her horribly.

The girlswere as close as sisters could get. They did everything together. They were also the first ones to know of each other's gifts. Torrence was a cryokinetic and Auriellla was a pyrokinetic. They had both thought they were different, and they were right. They were Daughters of the Moon, goddesses sent to Earth to protect humanity from the evil known as the Atrox.

Torrie and Ella weren't the only Daughters. Their new friends, Hailley and Blaze, were also goddesses.

Torrie put the phone to her ear and laid back down, silently counting the rings. One, two, three, four, five…

"H-hello?" Auriella's tired voice croaked into the phone.

"El, it's Tor."

"Tor?" Torrence heard some noise in the background. "Hon, it's three in the morning."

"I know, but I have to talk to you."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

Torrence sighed, twisting a strand of black hair around her finger. "Please, El? I really need to talk to someone. I'd call Jimena, but you're my best friend."

"Okay," Ella finally whispered. "Meet me in the spot in five." The phone clicked and the dial tone came on.

Torrence slipped out of bed and stretched. She slipped on her sneakers and walked to her window. This was a common thing for her. Mark was a light sleeper and knew when she tried to escape in the middle of the night. So, she started using her ice as firm stepping stones down the side of her house.

When she stepped onto the grass, the wind rushed against her legs. Goosebumps broke out along her skin. She rubbed her bare arms to warm them. All she was wearing was a short pair of silk shorts and the matching silk tank top. She crossed the lawn of the Hudson residence and into the Saratoga's, heading for the little shelter Michael had built for the girls when they were six. A porch swing hung from the top. That was their "spot".

Auriella looked up at Torrence with tired blue eyes, but still managed to smile brightly. She held up a white mug to Torrence, who took it as she sat.

Ella sipped form her own mug. "Hot chocolate a la Saratoga."

Tor smiled and lifted the mug to her mouth, inhaling the chocolate smell. "Thanks, El."

"No prob. Now, what do you need to talk to me about?" Ella scooted closer to her, placing her blanket over Torrie's lap, too. The blonde laid her head on the Ice Queen's shoulder, yawning.

"I have to tell you some things I've been keeping from you," Torrie said, yawning as well.


	3. Confessions

**Part One: Mirror Image**

**Chapter Two: Confessions**

"Did you find out about the girl in the picture?" Ella asked excitedly.

Torrence looked into the dark brown contents of her cup, feeling the warmth of the liquid through the glass. "No, that's still a mystery. I don't know where to start."

Auriella inclined her head, looking into Tor's bright blue eyes curiously. "Well, tell me about when you disappeared."

"I went with this girl, Ariel. I don't remember what happened, but, you see, she needs my help. She's a Daughter of Pandora. Ariel, Evangelina, and Gissele are looking for the fourth."

"How are you supposed to help with that?"

Tor rested her cheek on El's blonde tresses. "I can see the future, or something like that, with my ice. They say I can find their fourth, and it will benefit us."

Ella took a sip of her chocolate. "How?"

"They're neither good or bad. So, if I help them, they can help us."

"But also the Atrox?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So you agreed to help?" Auriella asked incredulously, her tone obviously disapproving.

"I trust them, Auriella," Torrence firmly said, leaving no room to argue about her decision.

"I don't doubt you, Torrence," Ella sighed. "I'm just worried about you."

Torrence decided, then, that this was the time to lay out the ulimate confession. She also wanted to change the subject away from Ariel. "I'm also dating Robert. He was—"

Ella sat up, eyebrows raised. "You guys are together? Ooh, I knew it!" She giggled.

"He's immortal. He's here to protect me. The Dark Goddess sent him."

Auriella blinked. Torrence watched her closely, waiting for her reaction. Ella nodded slowly.

"Well, since we're confessing our secrets, I suppose I should tell you…"

"Tell me what?" Torrence gave her best friend a critical look.

"I like this guy, and I mean really like this guy, and it's… not Gavin." Ella hesitated, but went on when Tor remained quiet. "I really like Gavin, too."

"Eh…That's not how relationships work, babe."

"I…I know. That's not the worst part. He's also a Follower…" Auriella stopped talking.

Torrence gave her a disbelieving look. Her eyes flashed angrily. "What!" She roared.

Ella looked back at her house nervously. "Be quiet! You wanna wake up everyone?"

"Sorry…What do you mean he's a Follower?" She had lowered her voice, but the angry tone was still laced in it.

"Remember the red head guy in RockOut a few weeks ago? Well, that's Anthony. Tor, don't be mad."

Torrence pursed her lips. "I'm not."

"He got Larry outta La Brea. He's…I don't exactly know what's going on, but I feel like I know him. And you can't say a word, Torrence Margaret. You were sleeping with our principal!"

Torrence looked away, her eyes flooding with tears. It had been two months ago when all this happened. She wasn't exactly proud of her sordid past. Yeah, she had been something of a slut. But there had only been one man. Even if it had been her principal.

"El…I feel odd. I mean, what's happened to us? We've never kept secrets before," Tor commented.

"Maybe it's because of this whole goddess thing," El offered up.

"You think?"

Ella hugged Torrie, careful of their half-filled mugs. "We've battled through preps and boys, Torrie. We'll still be best friends through this. You're my sister."

"Don't you get it, though? Being a Daughter is going to be difficult."

"Do you regret knowing?"

She hesitated. "No, I don't."

"Good, because I think it's cool that we're goddesses. Even if sometimes we don't look it."

"Or act like it."

They both started laughing.

Torrence snuggled up to Auriella, pulling her end of the blanket tighter around herself. Ella leaned against Torrie again, yawning. She placed her cup on her other side, propping it up against her hip. Torrence leaned forward, placing the cup on the ground, then sat back up against El, closing her eyes.

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**amazonangel86: Lol. This counts for a real review. After all, you said you liked it and to update. That counts in my book.**

**Demon Dea: Updatedeth. Hopeth you liked-eth.**

**elephantsrocmysox: Nice to hear from you again! Thanks. I hope this story will be as good, if not better in some ways, than the first one.**


	4. Mirror Image

**Part One: Mirror Image**

**Chapter Three: Mirror Image**

A shadow passed over the intense light, and Torrence groaned.

"Morning, sunshines."

"Mornin,' Daddy," Auriella mumbled beside Torrie.

Torrie opened her eyes and looked into the dark, handsome face of Michael Saratoga. "Hi, Poppa M."

"Come on in, girls. I bet you're hungry."

Torrence and Auriella stood and giggled, standing close to each other with the simple white comforter tightly wrapped around themselves. They stumbled forward clumsily, trying to walk together.

Vanessa came to the doorway and laughed. "Look at you two! You stay out all night and sleep on an outdoor swing, and you wonder why you need that blanket."

"Don't you two wear skimpier outfits to clubs? You can't possibly be embarrassed to quickly run into the house with just your pajamas," Michael teased.

"Daddy," Auriella pouted. Torrence grinned.

_This is the family I need,_ she thought.

"He's right, though," Torrie reminded her blonde friend.

Auriella mocked glared at Torrence. "You always agree with Dad."

"I don't!"

"You do!"

Torrence shook her head and dropped her end of the blanket. Michael smiled, ruffling her hair, walking past both girls swiftly. He gave Vanessa a quick kiss as he hurried back inside.

Torrence lifted the cup of orange juice, draining the rest of the contents. That was what was great about the Saratogas. Not the orange juice, but the generosity they extended to her and others.

Being adopted wouldn't have been so bad if the Hudsons' had given her a real home. The Saratogas had taken her into their lives when she was young. She remembered how she had once called them Mom and Dad and how severely Mark had punished her for it. They were her parents, though. When she had turned six, they had offered to adopt her off Mark and Kristina. Oddly enough, then declined. They asked again when she was twelve. It obviously wouldn't happen.

A chime rang through the house. Vanessa looked up curiously. "I wonder who that is."

"I'll get it, Mama V." Tor pushed out form the table.

Auriella's jeans clung to her legs tightly. They weren't too tight, but Ella was just a bit smaller than herself. Torrie's strides were the same as if she were wearing her own jeans. All these were doing was showing off her nice, dancer legs.

She pulled open the door, facing a woman with dark brown hair. The woman smiled and grabbed Torrence, pulling her into a tight embrace. Tor was confused, wondering why this woman was hugging her.

"Look at you, Auriella! Your hair darkened like your father's!"

Torrie moved out of the woman's arms, smiling awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I'm not Auriella."

"Oh." The dark haired woman looked a bit disappointed. "Isn't this the Saratoga residence?"

"Yes." Tor turned her head slightly to call for Michael and Vanessa when she noticed the woman's look in the corner of her eye. "Alright there, ma'am?"

The woman opened her mouth. "Chris!"

"Hey, Tor, what's taking so long?" Ella bounced over to her, all grins and warmth.

Torrence breathed in so sharply, her chest hurt. Her chin trembled slightly as she looked into the face of the one called Chris. His hair was dyed an intense dark blue, but she was extremely sure that it had been black. His eyes--her eyes--widened as he stared back at her. With a trembling hand, she touched his cheek.

It was like looking into a mirror. If she had been a guy, she would have looked exactly like this Chris.

_She had a twin brother!_

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**Demon Dea: I'm glad that it is. I was worried that it might have sucked.**

**elephantsrocmysox: A little, I suppose. Lol. I just wanted some conflict in her life, and it makes for a great story line when I get to her book.**

**Cynthia: Yes, yes, I suppose she is.**

**Amazonangel452: Oh, hey. Um, I think I understand? Lol.**


	5. Adopted Still

**Part Two: A Brother Alone**

**Chapter Four: Adopted Still**

Vanessa and Michael walked to the front door together, curious as to who was there. Vanessa squealed excitedly.

"Catty!" Vanessa moved towards the woman named Catty. "Torrie, Ella, what's...wrong?"

Torrence and Chris remained watching each other.

"Mom, I think we found Torrie's family..." Auriella whispered.

_My family?_ Torrence shuddered, afraid of knowing that his family could be hers.

"Oh...God..." Torrence swayed, unable to catch her breath. "_Mater Luna, adivuo_ _me nunc_."

Torrence's body pitched forward, falling helplessly into Chris's arms.

"Torrence. Tor...Wake up," Auriella's pleading voice reached her in the darkness.

Torrie's hand drifted up to her face. _That was one wild dream_, she thought wryly. She wasn't about to get her hopes up that she had a real family, a real home to go to.

Torrence looked into Ella's peaceful blue eyes. "I fainted?"

Auriella nodded. "You haven't done that since you were ten."

There were unspoken words there. She had forgotten to say when Torrence dreamed of her death. During certain times, those dreams would attack her, and they would be so violent, she'd pass out.

Tears suddenly streamed from her alluring blue eyes. She pressed her hands to her face, crying softly. She felt Auriella's arms slide around her body, her head resting against her side.

"Oh, come on, Torrie. It's not that bad."

"What's not that bad?"

"Still being with Mark and Kristina."

Torrence smiled grimly. It was too good to be true. She had survived fifteen years without knowing her parentage. Didn't that prove something? She could live not knowing who she was. But, it hurt to know that the Chris guy was not her brother. She couldn't see how. The similarity was too...similar.

"You see, Tor, Chris was adopted, too. He may not belong to your real family, but he has to be your brother!" Auriella reasoned.

Tor stared up at the pink canopy above Ella's bed. _A brother..._ She thought.

Ella stood. "You come down when you want."

Torrence nodded. She turned on the bed, feeling so empty, so alone.

Someone knocked on the door, then walked in. Torrence turned to see who it was.

Chris stood above her, looking at her with confusion and concern in his identical eyes. She looked back up at him. They were measuring each other, seeing what they already knew. She sat up, and then stood.

"When my parents told me we were moving to L.A., I was happy. This was where I was born, so I knew my birth family had to be here. I didn't think that I would immediately find a piece of my family," he told her. He smiled, and suddenly, she felt better, calm even.

"Can I hug you? I need to know that you're real," she explained.

Chris wrapped his arms around Torrie's shoulders, holding her lightly against him. Her arms wrapped around his chest. _She felt whole._ This felt right, like a chunk of her had been missing for the last fifteen years. They were family.

"Can I ask you something?" Chris asked.

"Sure."

"Do you know anything about our parents?"

"No."

She remembered Ariel, the mischievous Daughter of Pandora who had said that she was her dream maker. Something had happened when she had seen. Did she know the identity of her and Chris' father? She needed to remember all the occurrences of her missing days.

And there was also the picture of the girl. Their look-alike.

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**elephantsrocmysox: Lol. Chaos, hm, maaaybe. **

**Cynthia: Ah, the woman at the door was Catty. Remember the Epilogue for Shimmering Moonstones? Chris' adopted mom is Catty. **

**Stantonluver: I'm so glad you like them. /Smiles/ So, have you read The Scroll's Prophecy? If you have and reviewed, sorry for not remembering. I'm terrible at that. Lol.**


	6. Alone with Chris

**Part Two: A Brother Alone**

**Chapter Five: Alone with Chris**

Torrence watched Chris with his foster parents from her house. Kristina was home, but not Mark. Mark was gone on another business trip; he would probably be gone for a month or two, hopefully more. Knowing her luck, he would be back by the end of the week to cause her some more hell.

His parents, Chris's that is, seemed so happy and loving. Tor had left the Saratoga household two hours earlier, despite protests from everyone. She just couldn't be around anyone now. She was going to watch her brother leave, and then she was going to lock herself in her room until tomorrow afternoon, when she would go to Charlie's. Fuck school. What was school going to do for her anyhow?

Chris looked over at her. She slumped against the door frame, watching him go with a sad expression on her face. He turned to say something to his parents, then ran over to her.

"Hey, Tor, why the 'end of the world' look?" Chris asked as he stood before her. He was so calm and collected, like nothing could throw him off balance.

"Are you staying in Los Angeles? I don't want to lose you when I just found you," Torrence told him softly. Normally, she wasn't like this, overly emotional and such, but things seemed to be changing with her. She was becoming…softer.

Chris smiled at her, as if he knew what she was thinking. "How about I come see you tomorrow morning? I know it's a school day, but if you're anything like me, you won't care," he whispered.

"What time?" He was right. School was never an issue.

"How about I come by at around ten."

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Torrence pulled out the picture of the girl, holding it above her. There was no writing on the back, and she was desperate to know this girl's name. Was she her mother? It didn't seem impossible. They looked the same, and the girl shared features with Chris, too.

She closed her eyes, imagining the girl to be a little older. She gave Torrence that motherly smile, one she had often seen Auriella and Vanessa share. Her mother took her in her arms, and she made up the tight embrace, the warm kiss on the temple, and the soothing touch. The smile remained on her mother's face, and it seemed so familiar. She just didn't know from where.

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Christopher's arms leaned on the pier as he stood beside Torrie. She looked down at the peaceful, bluish-gray water as she licked at her vanilla ice cream cone.

"Miranda couldn't stop talking about you and Auriella last night. She was very mesmerized by my twin especially. You're her new hero."

Torrence snorted. "I'm no one's hero. I belly dance."

"Great way to keep in shape. Nice, hot girls. Seductive," Chris reasoned.

"I have a nasty personality. I am not a very happy camper sometimes."

"Who in hell ever is?"

"I'm not very pretty."

"Hey, you look just fine to me. You couldn't look better."

"I'm not a virgin."

"Most guys prefer to have experienced women."

"You know nothing about me!"

"Well, I can say the same for you."

Torrie looked at Chris, blinking slowly. She smiled and finished the ice cream off. "When I was in the fourth grade, I beat up my crush's bully. I was real cute then , but he still pushed me down, like he was big and bad for hitting a girl. He yelled at me for beating the kid up. So, I got up and punched _him_."

Chris laughed loudly. "I can imagine that!"

"After that, I became his bully and his protector, sometimes. I just didn't let him know it."

"Who is he?"

"Ella's boyfriend, Gavin."

"Okay, when I was in the seventh grade, I asked the prettiest girl in our school out. She made me come to her house and ask her dad for the privilege. So, I went. I knocked on the door and a pretty woman answers. I go, 'Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Jenson.' And the woman said, 'I am Mr. Jenson.' I got so scared by that that I ran away from her house. She never spoke to me again."

Tor's laugh pierced the air, melodious tones hung a few feet from her in every direction. "Oh, my God."

Chris laughed with her. "Can you believe that?"

"When I was five, I discovered that I could do something strange. I could make things freeze…"

Torrence looked up at Chris, waiting for his reaction. He blinked several times at her before drawing in a sharp breath of air.

"I know that you think I must believe you're crazy, but I don't," Chris reassured.

She widened her eyes in astonishment. "You knew what I was thinking. Was that like twin telepathy?"

"No. I can read minds. Just regular telepathy."

She giggled. "Well, _excuse_ me."

"Torrence, you're my sister. And even though we just met, I can't think badly about you. So, why are you trying so hard to get me to do so?"

Tor paused, then looked down at the water. Her whole life, she realized that a lot of people looked down at her, and after awhile, it just became a part of her life, never to really remain focused on.

"I'm not…"

"You are. Like I said before, I know I just met you, but there have to be people that don't care about circumstances or the things you do."

"Are you a stoner? You're real calm," Torrence suddenly said.

"No! Are you crazy? My dad would kill me!" He exclaimed.

She smiled, patting his arm. "You're a real calm person. It's like you don't care what people know or think about you."

He grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the edge of the pier. He began running, reluctantly dragging her with him. The people in the way cursed at them, jumping away so that they wouldn't get mauled by the blue-haired boy and the black-haired girl. She was confused as to what he was doing.

Chris came to a sudden stop, and Tor skidded to a stop, slid on the beach sand, and then fell on her ass. He laughed. She looked up at him, frustrated.

"I'm glad you find me getting dirty hilarious," she said sarcastically.

He sat on his knees beside her. "You just made what I was going to do easier." His hands tossed sand around.

"What are you doing?"

He picked up a shard of glass, grinning at her. "You're just going to have to trust me."


	7. Working on Self Esteem

**Part Two: A Brother Alone**

**Chapter Six: Working on Self-Esteem**

Chris took the shard, pulled at the knee of his sister's jeans, and sawed at the denim. It caused the jeans to fray at the knee, the fabric tearing and untwining.

"What are you doing?" Torrence asked again.

"I'm giving you a lesson in self image," Chris told her, his equally blue eyes flickering up at Torrence before using his glass shard on the opposite leg.

"I don't get it," she muttered. "All you're doing is ruining a good pair of jeans."

"Torrie, you have poor self-esteem. So I'm going to make you real grungy, and you're going to walk around and show me L.A, with that look. And you're not going to care that certain people are snickering at you," he said, determined to make her understand.

Torrence watched him cut a big hole in her pant leg, exposing her softly tanned skin. She smiled to herself. "You're not gay, are you?"

"Don't make me hurt you."

Grabbing a handful of sand, she dumped it into his dark blue hair. He narrowed his eyes, grabbed a handful of his own sand, and rubbed it into her hair. She giggled and grabbed his piece of glass. She cut a jagged line in his shirt.

"You and I, we'll be walking around raggedy together," Torrence informed.

He stood up, holding his hand out to her. She took it, helping herself up.

"Alright, Tor."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

_Walking along a crowded street, looking like you just walked out from the sewers is not a recommended fashion statement, _Torrence thought. Beside her, Chris chuckled.

After a few more holes, and wet sand, they had found some seaweed. It was now draped on shoulders and horribly braided through tangled and matted hair.

People turned their heads; some adults openly and loudly voiced their criticisms. A slight blush crept onto Torrie's cheeks. What in hell was she doing? Chris grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. She set her mouth firmly, lifted her chin slightly, and held her head up.

"That's right," Chris whispered. "Nothing they think matters. You are amazing, even with seaweed."

"You're strange, Chris."

He brought his mouth into a corner, as if he were thinking over her statement. She glanced at him curiously. His hands dove into his jeans' pockets. She turned her eyes towards the building they were in front of. They were at Charlie's. All the performers would think she looked ridiculous, and a thought sunk in. _She didn't care._

"Told you. This where you dance?" Her brother asked.

"Yeah."

She pushed open the door, and they walked inside. Charlie would probably yell at her for being late.

Charlie was another mother figure. She hadn't raised her like Vanessa, but she had supplied the strict discipline. When Torrence was seven, she met Charlie. Kristina had taken her here to learn ballet, but after three lessons (and punching one of the stuck up girls), Tor realized ballet wasn't for her and wandered into another room. The music immediately took Torrence, and her body instantly took to it. Charlie recognized her talent and had personally assigned herself to the girl.

"Torrence, why bother wasting time and showing up late?" Charlie yelled out from the stage. Standing with her was Marie, another top belly dancer and the main singer during performances, and Robert.

Robert looked at her with an amused smile. Chris perked an eyebrow and seemed to understand. _Or maybe he read my thoughts_, she wondered.

"Torrie," Blaze laughed. She stepped out from behind the curtain, her gothic face contorted in amusement.

Blaze was another Daughter whose power was stopping time. Whenever she did it around people, she gave them headaches, as if their minds kept trying to work, knowing it wasn't natural for time to stop. She had been working on taking another person in her time void with Jimena, their mentor, and Hailley.

Blaze--actually, her real name was Cameron Mitchells--was an extremely pretty African American, with strange caramel eyes, fine milk chocolate skin, and kinky black hair that was always braided. She was the tallest of the Daughters and the oldest. She was also a Goth who took the act very seriously, as did her best friend, Erik Carmichael.

"Amazing, right? I'd like to introduce you guys…to my twin brother," Torrence announced.

Chris stepped forward, lifting his hand up in a small wave. "Hi."

Robert glanced at Chris, then at Torrie. "You've found your family?"

Blaze's full, black lips opened slightly as her eyes flickered to the back of the room. Torrence watched her. Blaze was constantly uncomfortable in this room, which was why Maria and her practiced in theother room.

"Sort of, Robby."

He smiled and walked over to her. Robert Knight was amazing. He had hay colored hair and beautiful sapphire eyes that had made her melt the first time they met. He had been a _servus_ in Nefandus and a knight in King Arthur's court before that.

His lips grazed her cheek. "You look great. This is the look for you."

"Are you teasing me?" She wondered.

"You'd look great looking like a sausage in a loin cloth and dirt caking your skin," he whispered to her.

"See!" Chris exclaimed. "Not everyone cares what you look like."

Torrence smiled. They were going to get along. She didn't need parents.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Coming up: Torrence and Robert go on a beach date, and something hotter than the fire ignites.**

**Demon Dea: I'm glad you're back. I've been missing your reviews. Anyways, when are you going to update any of your stories? Oh, and, you can't call me nasty. Might hurt my sensitive writing feelings.**

**Cynthia: If you thought he was going to hurt her, you have a sick a terrible mind! If not, please pretend that I didn't insult the reviewer…**

**elephantsrocmysox: ..Was this as fast as possible?**


	8. The Beach Surprise

**AN: I am so so so so so so very sorry to have kept you all waiting for as long as I have! I've been so busy lately…Anyways, enough of my damn talking. You all want to read the story.**

**Part Three: The Mischievous Ones**

**Chapter Seven: The Beach Surprise**

Robert's hands were warm and gentle over Torrence's face as they covered her eyes. Beneath her bare feet, she felt sand.

"Robby…What is this?" Torrie asked him again.

He had come to get her only a few minutes earlier, talking about a surprise for her. She didn't even have time to put on her shoes before he pulled her into the shadows. And it was an incredible ride. Her body felt so light as she floated through the dark.

She felt his lips press against her neck. "Okay. I'll show you." He moved his hands from her face, resting them on her hips.

In front of her was a large blanket on the sand, a fire built near it, and a carton on the left side of the blanket. Torrence smiled and looked back at Robby.

"You did all this?" She asked, amazed at the romantic gesture.

He nodded, stepping past her, and sitting down on the blanket. "With the help of the girls," he added sheepishly.

She sat next to him. "You're…" She bit her lip, then asked, "What's in the box?"

Robert pulled out two metal rods and a package of marshmallows. "Auriella told me of your love for smores, so I thought, what's a noisy, crowded club compared to the beach and chocolate?"

Torrence took one of the rods from her boyfriend. "Mm…Amazing."

They placed their marshmallows into the fire, watching the flames lick the fluffy puffs before finally consuming them. Robert soon pulled his marshmallow out, but Torrence let hers blacken and catch fire before placing it on her graham cracker.

She took a bite and moaned with pleasure. "Ooh…Chocolate..."

"How long have you had this obsession?" Robert asked suddenly.

She looked at him, surprised. "Always." She leaned in close to him, licking a small bit of chocolate off of his mouth.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer, kissing her throat. She lifted her chin up, exposing more of her neck. He applied more kisses to the delicate skin, the pressure growing firmer with each kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair before she tugged on it, bringing his lips up to hers.

"Let's play a game," she whispered against his mouth.

He lay her down on the blanket, covering part of her body with his, his hands deciding they wanted to take a tiny tour. "What game?"

"It's called 'Spelling Bee'. I'm going to spell a word in your mouth. If you guess wrong, I get to kiss you any way I want. If you guess right, you get to kiss me however you want."

His hand moved under her shirt, his fingers trailing across her lower stomach. "Sounds fun." His eyes met her, and she shivered with delight.

Torrence pressed her mouth against his, enjoying her tongue's journey into Robert's mouth. The tip of her tongue touched his, and she used it to spell K-I-S-S. She pulled out, despite his groan and gripping hands.

"Your word was kiss," he whispered, his voice desperate.

"You read my mind, didn't you?" She asked accusingly.

"Never said I couldn't."

He kissed her bottom lip, sliding his tongue along the part in her lips. She opened her mouth slightly, sucking on his tongue, then closed her mouth over his. Her hands traveled down his back, while his moved over her bra-covered breasts. She moaned in his mouth, sliding her tongue around his. He moaned, sending a warm heat through her body. His hand traveled back down her stomach to the button of her jeans. She encouraged him, running her hands under his shirt, sliding them over his chest, slowly drawing a finger down his spine, feeling him shiver against her. He popped the button and pulled down the zipper, slipping his hand in, toying with the elastic band to her panties.

Torrence's breathing became more shallow, and her entire body began to tingle and sing. She pushed at Robert's chest and turned her head, though. "No."

Robert looked down at her after raising himself up. "Okay."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his chest when he lied down beside her. He smiled back. He ran his fingers through her hair.

"I just want to take it slow, Robby," she said, feeling like she needed to give him a reason why she was not going to go any farther with him.

"I understand," he whispered into her hair, giving her a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

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**Okay, Robert seems totally nice and wonderful, but there are dirty secrets behind his reasonings for being so calm with Torrence like that. Anyways, up next: Ariel pops up and decides that her dreams need to be sorted out right then so that her visions will come up and show the final Pandora Daughter.**

**Thank you, my lovely reviewers who I have kept waiting for such a long time.**


	9. Hypnotism

**Part Three: The Mischievous Ones**

**Chapter Eight: Hypnotism**

Torrence smiled to herself as she moved in small circles over the grass of her yard. She wasn't just some slut; she wasn't a slut at all! Robert liked her for her and not sex, for the obvious reason that she said stop and he did. He didn't even put pressure on her.

Then again, Larry hadn't pressured her, either. He had probably used his manipulative mind power to make her want him in the way she had. But for what reason? Why her of all people?

She walked up to the porch, almost tripping over a maroon pixie. Ariel squeaked as Torrie's foot caught her in the knee.

"Ariel!" Torrence exclaimed, bending over to rub her toes.

"Hey, Torrence," Ariel said in her dark, seductive voice. She tilted her head up, her green-brown eyes curiously bright. "Coming back from a date?"

"Actually, yeah," Torrence told her, noticing the new tongue pierce she had each time she opened her mouth.

"He's hot. You two exclusive? Because he's seriously the kind of guy I like to break in," Ariel said, running her pinky finger along her bottom lip.

Torrence gave Ariel a look, and the Pandora girl smiled broadly. The pretty pixie was outrageous.

"Why are you here, Ariel?"

"We want to talk to you. The girls and I, and Tiberius, that is."

The other girls were Evangeline and Giselle. They were the other two Pandora Daughters. Tiberius was a guardian to Giselle.

Seeing as how Pandora was not a goddess, but the first woman, a guardian is assigned to her Daughters, to protect them. They also weren't born with powers, like the Moon Daughters, but acquired them from their six-point star charm they wore around their necks.

"I haven't seen anything yet," Torrence let her know.

Ariel nodded. "I know. But that's not what we need to talk about. Torrence, we really need your help. The Atrox is too sneaky to ask."

There was one other thing about the Pandora Daughters: they had no allegiance to either side. They could help the Moon Daughters as quickly as they could help the Atrox. It was risky for Torrie to be so intertwined with these mischievous ones, but when had she really ever followed the rules?

"What about?"

"Giselle figures that if she unlocks what ever you know from the inner confines of your mind, or something like that, it might help us."

"Is that Giselle's power?"

"No. She's just really good at hypnotism."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

If Ariel was a pixie, then Giselle was the fairy queen. And Tiberius was a god.

Giselle was small, gorgeous, and extremely elegant. She had fluffy strawberry blonde hair that reached mid-back, framing her lean, beautiful face. Her eyes had a wild and uncontrollable look to them, the violet dark and mysterious. She had such a tiny frame, but managed to make herself look better than the girls with the D-cup breasts.

Giselle smiled her perfect smile up at Torrence. "Hi, Torrie."

Tiberius glanced over at the blue-eyed wonder. He was tall, athletically built with rock hard abs (easily seen through the shirt he was wearing) and broad shoulders. His head was covered in a mop of dark curls that fell into his brooding face and baby greens. It was easy to see why Giselle cast her eyes softly on her guardian.

"Torrence," he said.

"Hey, Giselle, Tiberius. Where's Evangelina?" Torrie asked curiously.

"Doing something with her parents."

Torrence nodded, running her hand through her hair. She wouldn't lie to herself. She was a little scared being here.

Giselle sat down on a midnight blue couch, her little body sinking into the fabric. She patted the cushion beside her, and Torrence sat down. The petite beauty nodded slightly at Ariel and Tiberius. They took this as a sigh to leave, quietly shutting the door behind them.

Giselle turned to Torrence. She touched her face lightly. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes," the goddess said determinedly.

She leaned forward, brushing her full, red lips against Torrie's. Tor pulled back, her eyes widened at the girl.

"Meh…" Tor felt so flustered.

"Sorry. It helps clear the mind. You're not thinking about anything else, are you?"

She blinked. "No."

"Good. Now, close your eyes. Listen to the soft warmth of my voice against your cheek. You can feel it. It wraps around your mind, whispering, holding. You feel your body relax; each muscle becomes less tense. You're weightless. The air is lifting you up. It caresses your body. You love it. Imagine the warmth traveling up your body."

Torrence could feel it. The gentle warmth started at the bottom of her leg, moving up slowly, touching her thigh, moving over her abdomen, up her breasts, throat, and cheeks. It relaxed her. It whispered over her lips, like a gentle kiss.

The ice frosted over her mind until the middle began to clear, giving off her reflection on the smooth, glass-like surface. She looked into it, waiting for the images. She could still feel the gentle wind on her body, but it was so distant now.

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**Next up: Torrence remembers what happened when she went to Ariel's and sees the image of her father! She also happens to make an enemy of Ariel's mother! I'll give someone a cookie and special dedication of the next chapter to anyone who can guess who Ariel's mother is! **

**Demon Dea: Lol. Perfection. Mwahaha! **

**elephantsrocmysox: I don't understand. Why would it have been sick and wrong for Torrie to have sex with Robbie? **

**Stantonluver: Like, Chris from my story, or the real Chris from the stories?**


	10. Cassandra's Deadly Wish

**Part Three: The Mischievous Ones**

**Chapter Nine: Cassandra's Deadly Wish**

**This chapter is most wonderfully dedicated to Demon Dea and person. +Hands them a cookie as a token+**

_Ariel led Torrence into the house. Torrie glanced around, feeling slightly confused._

_"Why did we come here?"_

_"It's easier for me to produce the illusion in surroundings I know. Just a thing of mine," Ariel explained._

_Torrence glanced around the house. It was immaculate. Everything was polished and spotless. Glancing around a bit more, she noticed how little darkness there was. When she entered Ariel's room, though, she realized where all the dark fled._

_Her walls, floor, and yes, even ceiling, were painted black. In the middle of the room was a large, circular black bed. Two dressers on opposite sides of the room were painted black. _Everything was so dark. _It made Torrence shiver. Sometimes, she feared the dark._

_Ariel flicked on the overhead lights, the plopped down onto her bed. She smiled up at the confused Torrence. The black color flickered and turned purple. The room was never black, but a dark shade of purple. Tor laughed at herself._

_"You wanna sit, Torrence, and stop staring at my wonderfully decorated room?" Ariel teased._

_Torrence sat on the bed, amazed by how comfortable it was. Ariel smiled at her, as if reassuring her._

_"How are you going to show me my father? No, wait. How did you know me?" That really bugged Torrence._

_"My power can show me your…I suppose you could say dreams. Not like the kind of dreams you see at night, but the thing that is personal. The dream you desire most in life."_

_"How does that work?"_

_Tor wanted to know the identity of her father so terribly bad. Even if he had never thought of her, she just wanted to know his identity. More than the identity of her mother. More than escaping Mark and Kristina._

_"Are you ready for this?" Ariel asked._

_Tor nodded. "Yes."_

_Ariel held Torrence's head in both hands, advising the blue-eyed girl to close her eyes.She felt so dizzy, and yet she also felt so safe. Then it felt like worms were beginning to crawl over her mind. The pixie was crawling in her brain, seeing things she couldn't even remember, things seen, but not able to be pulled up. She wondered if the image was being created while she felt these things._

_When would she be able to open her eyes and see her father? Maybe, if this was successful, Ariel could produce an image of her mother, too._

_"Ariel, what in…"_

_Ariel dropped the connection, and Torrence stared up at the woman with a horrified expression. The woman had to be Ariel's mom. They shared some similar characteristics, including the maroon colored hair. Ariel blinked up at her mother._

_"I'm busy, Mom," she said stiffly._

_Torrence wasn't paying attention anymore. She was staring at the image of her father. He looked so young, maybe just a few years older than herself. His hair was blonde and kind of spiky. His eyes were her eyes. Blue and so very hypnotic. He was very handsome, and she some other similarities between her, Chris, and their father. However, she wasn't the only one staring at the dream-like image of her father._

_Ariel's mother stared with pure abhorrence at Torrence. "Oh my God! You! YOU!"_

_"Mom, what is it?" Ariel asked._

_"You brought that filthy bitch into my house!"_

_Torrence shook in shock. "I don't know who you are!"_

_The woman grabbed Torrence, her eyes full of loathing for her. "You're _her_ daughter! His and hers! You're Stanton's daughter!"_

_"Is that my father's name?"_

_"I bet your mother laughs at me. Has she ever mentioned Cassandra before? Oh, how I bet she laughs," Cassandra continued on, ignoring Torrence's question of ignorance._

_Cassandra's hands wrapped around Torrie's throat as she began choking her. Torrence pushed at the hands, tried to kick the mad woman, but she was absolutely relentless. Tor focused her power, freezing Cassandra's hands. She screamed as Ariel pulled her mother's victim free. Tor fell against Ariel, coughing and rubbing her neck, trying to cool it from the searing heat and pain caused by Ariel's mother. Cassandra came at her again, but Ariel pushed her away this time._

_"Mom, stop this! Are you crazy?"_

_"I want her dead! I won't rest until she's dead!"_

Torrence shuddered as Giselle's hypnosis let go of its grip on her. She wiped at her face, feeling the thin sheet of sweat that had begun to glisten there. Her hands shook as she ran them through her hair. She blinked a few times, trying to shake the frightened feel from her bones.

"Are you okay?" Giselle smiled softly. Concern filled her eyes.

Torrence nodded slowly. "Ariel's mother tried to kill me. Why?"

"She knows your parents, I guess. She's obviously not happy with them, though."

"I know what my father looks like. I know his name!"

Absentmindedly, she fingered her ring. Was it a gift form her father? Is that why she felt a greater connection to this Stanton guy more than her mysterious mother? Did Chris get something as well?

"I need to go. I need to see someone," Tor whispered.

Giselle caressed her cheek. "Tell me where you need to go. I'll take you there."

"I need to see my brother. He might be at El's house. I don't know. I just need to see him." She knew she was rambling, but she was so excited.

Giselle took her hand, and they slipped into the shadows.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Torrence caught Chris just as he was leaving to go back to the hotel. She ran over to him from the dark, forgetting his family, and wrapped her arms around him. He looked at her, surprised. His parents smiled.

"Hello, Torrie," Catty greeted. "You're out late!"

"You, too, Mrs. O," she replied. She turned her attention to Chris. "What would you do if I told you I know who our father is?"

"Do you know who he is?" Chris asked excitedly.

"You found him?" Kyle asked as well.

"Found him? Sadly, no. But I know his name, and I know what he looks like."

Chris swept her up, swinging her around. His kissed his twin's cheek before setting her down. "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it!

She grinned at him. "Meet me tomorrow morning. I know someone who might know all."

"Aren't you going to tell me his name?"

"Don't you have school?" Catty questioned, smiling at her knowingly.

"Mrs. O, please. Don't get all motherly on me now," Torrence pleaded.

She liked Chris' mom. She was a lot of fun, and they connected easily.

"Don't worry, Torrie," Kyle assured her as he nudged his wife towards the car where Miranda was waiting for them impatiently now. "He'll meet you."

Torrence couldn't wait.

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**Up next: Torrence and Chris go to Jimena to confront her with their news. Will Jimena finally confess about Stanton and her mother? Chris is important to the Atrox? And what's this. Robert knew the entire time? That's unacceptable! He couldn't lie to Torrence, he just couldn't…**

**elephantsrocmysox: No, sadly, Catty is really nothing now because in my wonderful universe, she chose to lose her powers and forget being a goddess. And Jimena is Conrad's mother, and the mentor to the Daughters. Thank you for liking my chapter. Good guesses. Gives you a consolation lollipop for trying**

**person: They are not perfect, as you might think. They look nice, yes, but I'm not sure if I'd be doing Lynne Ewing justice by making the Daughters fat and ugly and you know, just not like her book characters. They do have flaws. If you read the story before this, you'll see that. Torrence is insecure and has a pretty low self-esteem issue. Hailley is just generally a bitch and kind of snobby. Blaze is a pothead. And Auriella can be too perky and is nice to everyone. I hate that, but I wanted her that way. So, I'm sorry if you feel that my characters are too perfect. Oh, and if you are referring to Giselle and Tiberius, there are real good reasons for this. But, you're gonna have to wait until the third story, Chosen One, that will come out after the side story dealing with Ariel and her guardian is finished. Please, just be patient with me and my unperfected characters.**


	11. The Truth As Told By Jimena

**AN: I am (insert about 500 million so's here) sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. This is why I'll try to put up at least two or three chapters of Visions, you know, to tide you over while I'm on vacation. Sorry, but I will be gone for a few weeks. If I get the chance to update anything, I will.**

**Part Four: Heartbreak**

**Chapter Ten: The Truth As Told By Jimena**

Torrence knocked on the door of the Killingsworth residence. She loved coming to this house. Jimena always made her feel so safe, and she liked Collin and Conrad. The two were cut from the same cloth; they could be really sweet if you caught them before the waves did.

Collin Killingsworth opened the door, staring into her eyes as he faced her. He was in a dark green wetsuit, oxide covering his nose. In his right arm, he carried a surfboard. He smiled gently at her and Chris.

"Hey, Torrence."

"Hey, Mr. K. Is Mrs. K around?" Tor asked politely.

"Of course. You know, you can call us Collin and Jimena. It's not like I don't know."

Tor smiled shyly before her and Chris slipped past him. He told them that Jimena was in the kitchen as he shut the door, heading outside to his car.

"What does he know?" Chris asked curiously.

"He knows about us being goddesses."

Tor looked up at Hailley, the fourth Daughter of the Moon. Hailley was a major drama queen whose only goal at the moment was to make a perfect performance in her play, and to get as much pink on as was humanly possible at times. She was selfish and spoiled, and Torrence liked her anyways. She was fun and knew how to have it as well. Hailley was also a classic beauty, her hair being long and chestnut brown, and her eyes bright and green.

Her gift was, by far, the most frightening. She could manipulate minds. She could make people think different thoughts, alter their feelings, and make them see things that really weren't there just by speaking to them, or "tweaking" their minds. It was a scary thing, this power that she possessed.

"What are you doing here, Hail?" Torrence asked. It was a school day, after all.

But Hailley wasn't paying attention to her. She was looking Chris over. Torrence twitched. That annoyed her. Who was she to start hitting on her brother?

"Goddesses?" Chris looked at Torrence, confused.

Torrence opened her mouth, but Jimena walked out from the kitchen. "Hello, Torrie and Chris. I guess it's time for the truth."

Jimena was a pretty Spanish-American with long, black hair and dark eyes. She had a few tattoos on her body from her gang days, including two teardrops tattooed under her yes. She also happened to be the Daughters' Magna Mater, meaning she was their mentor.

"You know?" Torrence stared at her. "You really know about our parents!" Almost three months she had known Jimena, and she had known about her parents the entire time. That hurt deeply.

"Goddesses?" Chris repeated.

"Hailley, do you mind?" Jimena asked.

Hailley shook her head. "Not at all. Oh, Torrie, here." Hail handed the girl a slip of paper. "I'm having a goddess sleepover this weekend. You gotta come."

Torrence clutched the paper as she watched Hailley leave. Chris nudged her again. She looked at him, seeing his questioning eyebrows. She finally sighed and explained to him about Selene and the Atrox as Jimena ledt them into the living room.

"I'm sorry, Torrence, that I haven't told you these things before," Jimena apologized.

Tor shook with anger. She reached into her jeans pocket, pulling out a photo of a girl. She held it up. "Is this our mother?"

"Her name is Serena. She's Collin's sister."

"She's still alive?" Chris asked.

"In a way. You see, where Daughters have the choices of becoming something new, forgetting and losing their power, or becoming a fallen goddess, Serena had a different choice. The Dark Goddess Hekate took favor with your mother. When she turned seventeen, she chose to become the Dark Goddess, making her immortal. She had you two after that time."

Chris took the picture from Torrie. Tor pulled off the ring around her finger. "Who gave me this?"

"Your father, Stanton, Prince of the Night. It's to protect you from the Atrox," Jimena explained.

"I have a necklace with this large sapphire. My parents found it on me when they found me," Chris mentioned.

"That's protection from your mother."

"What's the Prince of the Night?" Tor asked.

Jimena seemed to hesitate now. "He's second in power to the Atrox. Your father is also immortal."

Chris glanced at Torrence. "But you said that the Atrox was evil."

"It is evil, Chris. Our father is evil."

"Jimena, what does the Atrox want with us, exactly? I mean, in all the stories with bad guys and such, the bad guys want someone. I'm assuming that it's us," Chris said.

It made sense. Her nightmares made sense. She was part of the darkness. That's why she always felt so comfortable in it. It belonged to her. The light and dark were fighting for her, though. The Atrox and Selene. They both wanted her. What kind of evil could she be?

"Jimena, you said something about a fire before when you were talking to us last week. Can you explain it to me again?" Torrence asked.

"It's called the cold fire. There are two chosen ones: the _lecta_ and the _lectus. _When you step into the cold fire, it burns away your mortality and makes you immortal."

Torrence held her forehead in the space between her thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes, trying to force the tears back inside.

"I am surprised, however, that you don't have telepathy, Torrence. That was the power your mother had. She was the key, the balance between good and evil."

Telepathy. Good and evil. God, why was her head pounding so?

"That's my gift," Chris announced.

Torrence opened her eyes, looking at Jimena. The woman watched the twin carefully. It scared her how she stared.

"I want you two to be very careful. The Atrox may want you both. Maybe Larry had something to do with it."

Tor figured she must have looked incredibly frightened because Chris, the extremely sensitive guy that he truly was, pulled her into a nice, brotherly embrace. How great was it to have him as a brother?

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Torrence asked in a quiet voice.

"I wanted to wait until you and Chris were together. Robert had only just told me about Christopher returning."

"What?"

"You mean, Torrence's boyfriend knows?"

"He's the one that brought you to Catty," Jimena told them.

_He lied to me. He lied. He knew that the Dark Goddess was my mother. He knew who my parents were the entire time!_ Torrence thought with both sadly and angrily.

She stood up. "I have to go, Jimena. Charlie wanted me to come in today."

They hugged, and she and Chris left the house. His arm rested around both shoulders in silent comfort.

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**Dea: You're very much welcome for the cookie.**

**Jenn: I'm glad I have another fan to add to the mix. Lol.**

**Person: Yes, yes you are. Good job!**

**Elephantsrocmysox: Lol. Catty is my favorite, the best of all the rest! Hahahaha! You hear that Serena?**


	12. The Deepest Betrayal

**Part Four: Heartbreak**

**Chapter Eleven: The Deepest Betrayal**

Torrence sat in McArthur Park, staring out across the water of the lake. The moon reflected off it, brightening the water, but she took no joy in it. Nothing was right about the stupid light. Why couldn't it have been cloudy and morbid?

She promised herself that she wouldn't cry. Crying would admit that it hurt far more than it seemed like it should and, in fact, it truly did. In all honesty, she was head over heels in love with Robert, despite how corny and cliché that sounded.

After talking with Jimena, Chris and Torrence had taken the bus to Charlie's. Torrie needed to confront her sexy, immortal boyfriend.

Chris had calmed her nerves some by just talking to her. He had been describing his grandmother, Kendra, who was a bit flitty, just like his own mother was now. She loved hearing about his family. She wasn't sure if he could read it or not, but she sometimes imagined that they grew up together and she knew the family.

It wasn't one of the days she had to come in. Charlie had given her a break today, on account of her being the star in the last performance (which had been about two weeks earlier). She knew Robert would be there, though. He was a senior at Turney High School and had a couple free periods during the day. He also happened to be living with Charlie-- she had discovered that fact the night she had reappeared from being with Ariel.

Immediately upon walking into the studio, they heard music from the front room, the first of two rooms used for belly dancing. The studio was actually a huge building with many giant rooms that were turned into many different stages and practice rooms.

Torrie figured Robby was practicing or just having fun. She glanced at her brother sheepishly. "You mind waiting out here?"

"You shouldn't do this now. Let's go grab a burger, or something. We can come back later. Come on. We can talk more about our embarrassing lives as young kids," Chris suggested.

She blinked at him curiously, wondering why he didn't want her going to see her boyfriend. "Why don't you want me to go in there?"

"I didn't say that. I just suggested…"

Tor opened the door softly, popping her head in. Robert wasn't alone. Maria was on stage with him, dancing. She didn't see Blaze nearby, and she figured she wouldn't.

Their dancing was sensuous and enticing, their chemistry nearly greater than hers and Robert's. Maria rubbed her body against his. Torrence could feel the pain in her heart increase as they began to talk.

"Robert, _my_ Robert, why haven't you kissed me yet?" Maria asked, lifting her head up in expectation.

"I'm still with Torrence," Robert reminded her.

"She's only a little kid. You need a real woman."

"I can't dump her. She's fragile."

"Robert, puh-_leeze_. Fragile?"

He seemed to think on it, then pulled Maria tightly against him as he kissed her. It wasn't some little peck, either. It was full on tongue action.

Tor knew it was too good to be true, her relationship with Robby. She was a curse. No good would ever be hers. Maria was much prettier and sexier than herself, anyway. She was also Robert's "age". He would be happy with her. Much happier than he would have been with Torrie.

Tor stepped further into the room, clapping wildly. The pit of her stomach was tied in agonizing knots, but none of the pain and torture showed through. She was made of un-melting ice.

Startled, the two broke apart. Robert's eyes connected with hers, and she suddenly felt very confused. She saw an incredible emotion for her in those sapphire gems. That was possibly the worst thing she had ever experienced. It was making her melt.

"Sorry to interrupt." Her voice was so strong and unwavering, it even surprised her. "I just wanted to tell you, _Robert_, that I found out about Serena and Stanton. Thanks for withholding the information."

She turned and walked out, leaving Maria horrified and Robert looking very sorry. Chris grabbed her hand, and she squeezed his hand as they left.

You knew?" Torrence asked when they were safely secure on a bus back to her house.

"I…I tried to warn you, but I thought that a situation like this would be good for you. I mean, not good…You can cry if you want…"

Torrence pulled the string to signal the bus that she wanted to get off. "Chris, just follow this street for the next two blocks, then get off. You'll recognize the house."

The bus stopped at the entrance of McArthur Park. That was where she had stayed the entire day and well into the night.

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**Next Up: Torrence runs into some trouble when Ariel's parents show up, but, of course, she's going to get rescued. By whom, you ask? Well, you can only guess and win the cookies. Of course, if you only get one person who comes, you'll still get the prize. Peace out, fans. This might be my last update on this story for a few weeks.**

**Here's a hint: One's a red head, and the other is someone we all love and worship, except for me, because the only one I worship is Berto, of course, but I'm pretty sure that someone worships him. Well, dur, one of my favorite writers worships him. **


	13. Stanton's Save

**AN: Oh Em Gee. Guess who's back? Now, if you didn't guess me…Anyhoo, lol, it's great to be back. Now, I know you're all anxious to read the chapter, but I have to put this in. Everto, you get half a cookie. Merky, you get half a cookie. Elephants, you get half a cookie. Kendra, you get half a cookie. Yay!**

**Part Four: Heartbreak**

**Chapter Twelve: Stanton's Save**

Chris had told Torrence that it was okay to cry, or something along those lines. That wasn't true. If she decided to cry, it would mean that Robby's betrayal hurt far more that she wanted to admit. There was no pain. None at all.

"Strange, seeing someone out here so late," someone whispered in her ear.

Torrence tensed, her body becoming rigid. She watched as the guy crossed over and sat beside her on the bench. He was cute, in a creepy way. It was hard to see the color of his eyes in the dark, but his stare made her shiver. His hair was pale in the little light given, but darker near the roots.

"How late is it?" She asked as she adverted her gaze.

"Past midnight. I'm Tymmie." Tymmie had leaned in to whisper this, and it skated pleasantly across her mind.

She turned to look in his eyes. Hers were now trapped in his piercing gaze. "Torrence."

"What are you doing out here so late at night, Torrence?"

"Thinking…"

His finger trailed across her cheek. "What about?"

"M-my ex." She cast her eyes towards the lake.

"Look at me, _dea_," Tymmie commanded.

"No!" She dived off the bench just as Tymmie made a grab for her.

Torrence rolled towards the water, but another person grabbed her by the back of her neck. She winced at the iron grip; she continued squirming despite the pain.

"Give it up, you brat," a woman's voice hissed.

Torrie stopped moving. It was Cassandra, Ariel's mother. She was trapped. She was alone. Torrence wasn't sure what Cassandra was, but she could feel the evil on Tymmie.

"_O Mater Luna, Regina nocis, adiuvo me nunc_," she cried out.

Tymmie laughed. "That won't work! Your _mother_ can't help you. The _Infidi _will have you, Torrence."

"_I-Infidi_?" She was terrified _and_ confused.

The grip on her neck eased, and she slipped to her knees. Her amulet, free from the binds of her shirt, glowed brightly now. Someone wrapped his or her arm around her shoulders. She heard her two enemies yell out a name that made her immediately perk up.

"Stanton?" She turned to the red head guy holding her. "You're Anthony."

Anthony nodded. "Are you okay?"

"My father's here?"

Torrence looked up as another man stepped forward. His eyes were blue and intense, and they shone with an evil glint. His hair was blonde and spiky.

This was Stanton, Prince of the Night, her father.

She jumped and launched herself at him. Never before had she been so desperate to hug anyone. She buried her face in his chest, and, for the first time, she felt the embrace of her father. He held her tightly, kissing the top of her head, petting her hair.

"Where have you been…Stanton?" She pulled away slightly to ask him. She wasn't sure if calling him "Dad" would be right.

"I've always been watching you, Torrence," Stanton told her in her cool voice.

She began crying; hearing her father say her name was amazing. Stanton brushed her tears away.

"Why did you let me get adopted by the Hudsons?"

"Serena and I wanted to raise you and Christopher, but we knew we couldn't. I have to go. I need to check up on your brother."

"But…I mean…"

"I'll check up on you later."

Torrence watched as he slipped into the shadows, leaving her with Anthony. Anthony touched her shoulder.

"I'll take you home, princess." He smiled at her, kissing her cheek at her grateful smile.

"Will you hurt Auriella?"

"I could, if I wanted to."

"But you won't?"

"I'll let you in on a great secret, _dea_. You four are my only hope." Anthony nipped her ear gently before taking her into the shadows.

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**Next Up: Torrence goes to Hailley's for the sleepover and ends up spilling all that has been bothering her+Gasp+ Lol.**

**VANESSA MAKES ME ANGRY SOMETIMES, TOO. But I hate Tianna. Yus, that's right. I said it.**

**Hey, I didn't mean to make my Serena comment seem like I hate her. She's cool, she's just not my fave.**


	14. Girl Talk

**AN: Could it be true? Is Akhet actually updating!**

**Part Five: Sleep Over**

**Chapter Thirteen: Girl Talk**

Torrence and Auriella looked up at the Green House, whistling in unison. It was amazing. So nice and big, it almost outshone their houses. It had almost a Greek feel to it, and the two girls felt immediately welcome as they passed through the two columns on the porch. Before they could even knock, the door flew open. Blaze's giant grin greeted them.

"Fire and Ice. Come on in. Welcome to the Puff's lair." Her kinky black hair was pulled back into a giant puffball. This was the first time either girl had seen her without her braids.

After the initial shock, they followed her in. She looked the same, anyway: dark and beautiful. Hailley greeted then in the hall, a nice and soft smile on her face.

"Yes, you came!" She hugged both girls. Auriella giggled, but Torrence came out of the embrace slightly confused.

Torrence flipped her black hair behind her shoulder, staring intently at the brunette. "If you are trying to suck up to me to get my brother, it's not going to work."

Hailley perked a perfectly tweezed eyebrow at her. "Girl, chill. You're too tense."

Hail grabbed Torrence's hand, dragged her into the kitchen, pushed her into a chair, and placed a giant plate of brownies in front of her.

It wasn't exactly her fault that she had been tense and moody lately. How would you like to have your heart ripped out and trampled on? She wanted to fire her question at Hailley. She had probably never felt that kind of pain. But she remained quiet. Those brownies were _full of fudge_.

Torrence let go of her bag, grabbed a brownie, and watched as her team, her friends, her _sisters_, sat down to eat the double fudge brownies, too. She knew that they were doing this to cheer her up, and truth be told, it was working incredibly well. Chocolate was the most amazing substance ever created.

The other Daughters didn't know what exactly had been happening with Torrence, but they based it on the fact that Blaze had found Robert and Maria inseparable lately.

She let her eyes close, letting the sweet substance roll in her mouth. It reminded her of the incredibly romantic night on the beach with Robert. For the first time in the three days she had begun to go to school again, found out about her parents, met Stanton, and learn of Robert's betrayal, she began to cry.

Auriella was the first to get up. She held Torrence tightly to her, softly whispering comfort words. Tor buried her head into the blonde's shoulder, crying harder. Hail sat on one of her legs, placing her cheek against Torrie's neck, one arm draped around Tor, the other around Ella's waist. Lastly came Blaze, shuffling, throwing her arms around the three girls.

Torrence sniffed. "I love him. I love him so much that it hurts sometimes. I loved him since the first time we danced. And then… he was kissing her…"

"Hurts when someone you love does something like that, huh?" Hailley asked bitterly. Torrence looked down at her, brushing her cheeks at the same time.

"What do you mean?"

"Conrad. We were dancing a few weeks back, and we began kissing. I thought that I was going to be on Cloud Nine. That is, until he told me he couldn't do that anymore because of his _girlfriend_," she stressed, rolling her green eyes.

"Girl, that dog! He was talking about that slut, Ashley. They ain't together now," Blaze informed her best friend.

"You're lucky you don't have a guy, Blaze," Auriella sighed.

"That's technically not true," the goth said. "You guys all remember Erik, right? Well, he's sorta like my dude. I mean, the only time we ever make out is when we're stoned"—Hailley tutted disapprovingly—"but, it's all cool."

"How come you can only make out then?" Torrie asked around a mouthful of another brownie she shoved into her mouth.

"It doesn't feel right when we kiss without a barrier. I guess we're still waiting for our true dates."

"Sounds better than my situation," Ella mused.

Hail's laugh was crisp as she got up from Torrie's lap. "You have a great, football-playing boyfriend!"

"Yeah, but I've kind of been flirting with another guy."

Two gasps filled the room.

Torrence propped her head up with her fist. "That's not all of it. The guy, Anthony, he's a Follower."

Hailley's eyes bugged out of her head. She looked as if she would attack Ella right then and there. Blaze watched the blonde curiously, as if truly seeing her for the first time. The firebug blushed and turned her head.

"He's not all bad," she mumbled.

"He works for our enemy," Hailley reminded. "Tor, don't you have something to say on this?"

"Robert is a Son of the Dark. He's like a male counterpart of us, I guess. Only, he serves my mother, the Dark Goddess. Besides, Anthony's pretty okay."

"You know who your mother is?" Auriella exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah. She was once a Daughter, then she became a Dark Goddess. My father is Stanton. He's second in command to the Atrox. Stanton and Serena. Pretty, huh?" Torrence asked quietly.

Blaze squinted down at the table, as if she were trying to remember something. She shook her head quickly and looked back up. Tor wondered what she was trying to remember.

"Wow…" Hailley quietly commented. "Now I know where your temper is from."

The girls laughed. Torrence couldn't remember a time before when she had really hung out with girls and just laughed about stupid and serious things.

Hailley pulled out four mugs. Tor turned her attention back to Ella, who was carefully twirling her blonde hair around her finger. She glanced up, her blue eyes connecting with Torrie's. They shared a private smile.

Hail placed the mugs in front of their respective seats. Steaming hot chocolate greeted Torrie's mouth.

"I just called the pizza guy," she informed.

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**Coming up: The Daughters talk…Daughter talk! Dun dun dun.**

**Everto Angelus: Omgosh! A root beer+Chugs it down+ Here, a Mountain Dew+Tosses it to her+**

**Elephants: Lol. +Gives ya a whole cookie this time+**

**Cattylova101: I'm sorry. I know I haven't updated in forever. I have been so oppressed by school.**


	15. Daughter Talk

**AN: Omg. I am so sorry, guys. School has been kicking my butt majorly. But, guess what! My last day is tomorrow. You know what that means? You guessed it: More updates on all my stories, and maybe even new ones! Soon. Hopefully. Lol.**

**Part Five: Sleep Over**

**Chapter Fourteen: Daughter Talk**

"On a definitely serious note, I heard of another threat. You know, one of the dark forces kind," Torrence stated, a little too obviously, seeing as how it was a "threat".

That got their immediate attention. They sat up raptly, waiting for her to go on. It was only Hailley, however, that seemed immensely uncomfortable; she was really the only one of them not totally into the "kicking evil butt" part of being a Daughter.

"I'm not sure exactly what they are," Torrence told them, "but they are called the _Infidi_. They have powers just like the Followers, but they aren't actually Followers. I don't really know anything about them, except they want Chris and me. Well, I'm thinking they want Chris, anyhow."

Blaze tapped her fingers along the table, her full lips pulled to the corner of her mouth. "Your mother was a former Daughter, and now she's the Dark Goddess. Your father is second in command of the ultimate darkness."

"Well, Jimena talked about a key…" Torrence muttered.

"Oh! My mom told me about that, too! She said that when the last Daughters were together, there was one that had telepathy, just like members of the Atrox. She said that her friend was the key. If used for good, good would prevail. If used for evil, evil would prevail," Auriella exclaimed happily, as if excited to put in her input.

"That was my mother. Chris has telepathy now." Torrence groaned and put her head in her hands. "This is giving me a headache."

Was Chris possibly the key? If he was, what did the Atrox and _Infidi_ want with her?

"We need to ask Jimena about the _Infidi_," Blaze mentioned.

"We can go tomorrow," Hailley whined.

Tor glanced up. "I can't."

"Why not?" Hailley asked.

"I'm meeting some other people."

"Who?"

"These girls that need my help."

Only Ella knew what she was talking about. Torrie sighed as she began to tell Blaze and Hailley about the Pandora Daughters. She went over the tiny visions she would receive about the girl. They hadn't been real help, but at least she was now having them since Gissele showed he of what happened when Ariel had kidnapped her. All she could really see now was a flicker of distorted hair and a bright object. Not anything, but at least something more than before.

"Torrence, I definitely wouldn't want to be you," Hailley stressed.

A slim smile appeared on Torrie's face. "Yeah. Sometimes, I don't want to be me, either."

"So, what do we—" The doorbell cut off Blaze.

"Must be the pizza," Auriella concluded.

Hailley bounced up, leaving the kitchen. She returned a minute later, two large pizza boxes in hand. She waited for Blaze to push the near empty plate of brownies away before putting the boxes on the table. The smell of cheese and sausage wafted up to the girls, and they hungrily dove for the slices.

Full of pizza, soda, and brownies, the girls curled up on a couch in the living room, waiting for the DVD to begin. Not in the mood for romance movies, the popped in a horror flick.

In the opening credits, Auriella curled up into Torrie's form. Torrence rested her head on the large arm of the couch, staring intently at the large screen television.

On the other side of the couch, Blaze pulled her long legs under her, out of the way of Hail's big butt. "You guys, we could barely go against the Follower's the last time we met. If we have to go against the _Infidi_, too, we might not…make it. Know what I'm saying?"

Hailley leaned into Auriella, her green eyes focused on the screen. "You worry too much, Blaze. We did good against Larry."

"Yeah, no thanks to you, girl," Blaze reminded.

"How was I supposed to know she could deflect my manipulation?" Hail fired back.

"Sh!" Ella and Tor silenced together.

Both girls looked at the two silencers with what seemed like daggers.

"I would like to see the damn movie," Torrence growled.

"Excuse me, oh great leader," Hailley spat sarcastically.

"You know, Torrence _is_ a pretty good leader," Auriella mused.

"True! Especially when it comes to dancing!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not good at making big decisions," Hail offered.

Torrence widened her intense eyes at the three of them. This was ridiculous! What were they trying to do? They stared back. She could feel the determination flowing off of them. They were going to make her leader of the Daughters.

Like she didn't already have enough problems.

"You guys are serious about this?"

"Dead serious," Ella said gravely. It caused the girls to burst into mad giggles.

Blaze struggled to catch her breath. "So, do…you…accept our…nomination?"

"What choice do I have?"

"Not much."

Torrence smiled. "Well, then, I accept!"

She looked back at the movie. She would always be in this world. It would be full of Daughters, Sons, evil, and strange powers. She stared down at her hand, hearing ice crackle along the lines.

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**Omgosh! Done.**

**Next Chapter: Torrie dreams of someone. Who could it be, and what do they have to tell her NOW?**


	16. Vision of Daughters

**Part Five: Sleep Over**

**Chapter Fifteen: Vision of Daughters**

Torrence pulled the blanket Hailley had given her tightly around herself, twisting in the bed she was given to sleep in. Hailley's room was so big. She was only in a corner of the brunette's mauve-colored room, and really it wasn't _that_ far from the others, but she felt isolated. It was beginning to make her feel just the tiniest bit of uncomfortable.

She sighed, and finally closed her eyes, letting the sleep she so needed drive in and take her away.

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_In the dark, she saw a tiny sliver of light, casting the person's body into shadows. As she stepped forward, the person moved back. She couldn't understand why this person who was calling her would continue to be a step further. Behind her, another voice called out. Turning her head, she saw that this person was _shrouded_ in shadows, instead of just cast. She whimpered softly, not quite understanding what was going on. Two people, calling for her to come closer, one of light, one of dark. Suddenly, her eyes widened in wonder and possible acknowledgement. Maybe these figures weren't actually people wanting her, but her _own self_ calling out to her. Her light side. Her dark side._

_Suddenly, the voices ceased, leaving her in the utter and stark silence of her mind. On instinct, she held her hands out before her. She knew now, in this silence, that she should begin the scrying for the fourth. The ice grew and frosted, much like the other times before. She closed her eyes briefly, letting her icy mirror live beneath her fingers, ready to show her what she was waiting and wanting to know._

_Once again, the screen showed a brilliant light, but she willed it to become more focused, for her own power to show her what was needed too know. As the object took shape, she gasped, destroying the silence. It was a _moon._ Her visions showed her a moon when they should have been showing her the last Pandora Daughter. Suddenly, she felt angry at her unyielding power. Unless…_

_Unless the other Daughter was actually a Daughter of the Moon. Could that even be remotely possible?_

_She urged her power on, wishing to be shown more, trying to catch a mere glimpse of this Double Daughter. And, of course, she was rewarded with images. A girl. Tanned skinned. Blonde hair. Just for an extra effort, her vision even threw in pink._

_Auriella. It was a mere glimpse, no face, but she _knew_, utterly _knew_, that it was her own best friend._

_Suddenly, without her consent, her ice disappeared, fading into the darkness, only to be replaced by Robert. He reached out, stroke her cheek, and then, he too, faded away. She held back a strangled cry and gasped instead._

Your fate, my little one is still unknown to me. I show you my son because, he too, has an unknown fate. It disturbs me deeply, child.

_She looked around, unsure of the voice she was hearing, one much clearer than the usual ones. "Who are you?"_

I am the original dark goddess, Hekate.

_It took her a few seconds to respond. "And Robert? He is your _true_ son?"_

Yes. It worries me, Torrence of the Daughters. This dark fate my son shares with you. I can see your brother's fate quite easily. Just not yours. Why is this?

_"I have no clue what you are talking about. I wouldn't know why my fate is shadowed, and I don't understand what this has to do with Robert. He's made it quite clear—"_

For now, little one, he is off limits, but there was a strong reason you two came together. I suppose it all started with his birth.

_"What do you mean?"_

Even goddesses will make mistakes if they think that they are right.

"_Please, Hekate," she begged lightly. "Tell me what you _mean_."_

Torrence, there are a few people you must keep a strict eye on. Listen closely, and know that I am sorry you must be so involved with my son. Watch for yourself and your twin, Christopher, children of Stanton. Watch for my son, Robert, son also of one of the _Cincti_. Watch for dear little Miranda, daughter of the Heir. Finally, and most harshly, watch for the one named Taylor, for she is the daughter of Aura and Lambert, the leaders of the _Infidi_. You five, whether you would like to be or not, are big in this war. The Key, the Heir, the Bride, the Princess, and the Guardian. You can change the scales, as you were no doubt born to do.

_"Why us?"_

Why else, Torrence of the Moon? What do all five of you have the most in common?

_She didn't answer. She didn't know what they all had in common. She did not know this Taylor. And the others… "What are…we?"_

The Deus Nox Noctis.

_"The Gods of Night? We all sound like we are the dark! I am a goddess of hope! I am the _light!"

Atrum est lux lucis. Lux lucis est atrum.

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Torrence sat up, eyes wide and fixated on Auriella. Ella smiled at her curiously. Tor stared at her, remembering her vision. It _had_ to be her friend. She _had_ to be the last Pandora Daughter.

"Morning, sunshine. You slept in late. More dreams?" Ella asked softly.

"Um…no. Just regular sleep. I must have been exhausted," Torrence reassured her friend, hoping to calm her worries.

Auriella smiled at her. "Okay. Get dressed and come down for breakfast. Hailley's dad is cooking."

"I'll hurry up."

Torrence watched her best friend saunter happily out of the room before remembering Hekate's last words to her. Softly, with hardly any voice, she muttered them to her herself before getting up. "Dark is light. Light is dark."

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**Woohoo! Another update. Clap for meeee. Anyhoo…**

**Next up: The start of part six. We're getting so near the end. Torrence goes to the Mischief girls to give them her ideas about their last girl, but she gets her own surprise when Tiberius speaks to her. What does he have to say?**


	17. Just a Prophet

**Part Six: Destiny**

**Chapter Sixteen: Just a Prophet**

Torrence walked up the pathway slowly, her shoes crunching over loose rocks and the various clumps of dirt littering the old and battered driveway. Evangelina waved to her, her face all excited smiles. It was sort of the fame you would get on one of Ella's not-so-good days.

Evangelina was a cute thing, not unlike all the others. If Ariel was the strong-willed and most mischievous pixie, and Gissele the lovely and graceful fairy queen, then that made Vange an incredibly agile elf.

Vange was tall and quite built for the agility she had. Her legs and arms were long, but not so that it looked freakish in any way. She kept her head high, a proud being of her near-forest dwelling. She had high cheekbones, a small nose, and noticeable lips. Her hair was long and soft, a pale mixture of blonde and brown. Her eyes were a real dark blue, like a navy color, but with more energy and life than what navy truly holds.

Torrence smiled back as she watched Evangelina run down to her; her silky violet skirt and the bell sleeves of her peasant shirt whipped back in the wind. Tor stopped moving as Vange's arms went tightly around her. The girl giggled.

Evangelina was very high energy.

Torrie laughed. "Nice to see you, too, Evangelina. How are you?"

"I'm good," Vange replied in her cute voice.

"I'm glad. Everyone already inside?"

"Of course. Come on."

Evangelina took her hand, leading her inside. Giselle and Ariel smiled at her. Tiberius lifted his head in a slight nod of recognition, wrapping his strong arms around Giselle's waist as she sat on his lap. Torrence nodded back.

"So," Ariel began, "any news for us?"

Torrie and Vange sat down on the other couch. "Of course. I think I have some pretty good news."

"You've found the fourth?" Giselle asked.

Torrence finally let out the grin she had been suppressing. "I think I may have. There is a problem, though."

"What kind of problem?" Tiberius asked. His voice was deep and dark. Torrence lifted her eyebrows. This was the first time she had heard him speak more than one or two words at a time.

"She also happens to be a Daughter of the Moon."

"Wow," Ariel said. "Ain't that a bitch." She stuck the tip of her tongue between her lips. The silver pierce glinted.

"Are you our sister?" Vange asked.

"No. I have too many other destinies to be your sister. Besides, she's blonde."

"You could always dye your hair blonde," Gissele offered.

Torrence shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. I think it's my friend, Auriella."

"And if it's not?" Ariel inquired.

"She's the only blonde."

"Which is why hair dye was created."

Torrence laced her fingers together. If that was true, then it was possible that Hailley could be the fourth. That was a laugh. She barely stood for the responsibilities that being a Moon Daughter gave. Would she survive in both worlds?

"Ariel, you're involved with the evil side. Do you know who the _Infidi_ are? Or Tymmie?"

"Tymmie…" Ariel laughed harshly.

Torrence glanced at Vange, who frowned deeply and looked away. Her gaze drifted to Giselle, who shrugged. "Do you?"

"I'm taking it that Tymmie and my mother attacked you, huh?" Ariel asked. Tor nodded. "Tymmie's my father. The _Infidi_ are a large group against the Atrox and the Daughters. My parents are like…your father, Stanton."

"Why are they after me?"

"I don't know. If I did, Tor, I would tell you. Sometimes…I think it was a blessing Pandora chose me as her daughter."

_There are five. The children of Stanton and Serena. The child of Hekate and a _Cincti_ member. The child of Catty and Kyle. The child of Lambert and Aura._

"Taylor…Do you know Taylor?"

Ariel's brown-green eyes met hers in shock. "How do you know about Taylor?"

"A dream. Where could I find her?" Torrence leaned forward, wishing that Ariel knew this for her.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her in three years. Why?"

A wry smile slipped onto her face. "No reason." She bit her thumb before continuing. "Girls, you know it doesn't matter if I'm not your sister. I'm always going to be here for you."

"How do you know?" Vange asked skeptically.

"Pandora led me to you because I was the one that would bring you together with your fourth. She led me to you, and now I can't just abandon you all."

"Pandora only showed me what you could do, Tor. My _father _led me to you. He wanted to know who your father was," Ariel admitted.

Torrence shrugged. "I guess you found out."

Vange smiled, quickly changing the doomed subject. "How are you and that guy?"

"Well, he cheated on me. But I think I know how to get him back."

Tiberius slid Gissele off his lap and leaned forward, taking Tor's hands into his giant paws. He lowered his voice, bringing out the curiosity in the three Pandora Daughters. "Don't worry. Robert and you are always connected. He is the Guardian. Soon, everything will be revealed to you. The Gods of Night must come together in this year, before your sixteenth birthday. Please, look out for yourself. The dark is more cunning when it is cast in the light."

She tilted her head to the side. "How do you know this, Tiberius?"

He smiled and kissed her hands. "Iam just a prophet. And I'm only relaying a message."

"Thank you."

Ariel stood at once. "I'll take you home, Torrence."

Back at the Hudsons', Ariel hugged Torrie close. "I don't know what's going on, but please be careful."

"This has something to do with your parents." It wasn't a question. Tor had known that they would be back. She was going to need to warn the other Daughters. If the _Infidi_ wanted her, they would have to go through them.

Ariel smiled before slipping back into the shadows, making Tor wonder if that was a good-bye smile, or a knowing smile.

"Torrence!"

She turned around at the sound of her name, seeing her reflected male self grinning like it was Christmas, running towards her. "I met him!" Chris exclaimed.

**Next Up: Chris and Torrie have a bonding moment while talking over the Deus Nox Noctis. Nothing like being the key to good and evil to bring a brother and sister closer together. Plus, an interesting proposal by Kyle sets the rest of Torrence'sstory into motion. **


	18. The Key

**Part Six: Destiny**

**Chapter Seventeen: The Key**

"Met who?" Torrence asked curiously.

Chris swung her around, a wide grin on his identical face. His blue hair glinted in the light, casting shadows down upon their faces.

"Our father! Tor…Do you know what it's like to look in the face of someone that you share qualities with?" He saw the look on her face. "Okay, forget I asked that question." They were, after all, almost identical, despite one being male and the other female.

"No, no. I do know. I met him, too."

"It was great, wasn't it?" Chris was so excited; she didn't even want to point out that their father was part of this big, evil entity.

"Yeah. I mean…I never really thought that I'd meet my birth parents. Then I found out about being a Daughter, and met you, and then we found out about Serena and Stanton. Not to mention the Gods of Night…"

He blinked at her a few times. "Let's tackle one thing at a time here."

She hugged him tightly. "Chris, we have a huge fate. Our destinies are so amazing." She twisted the ring on her finger, loving the feel of the comforting band.

Chris shoved his hands into his pockets. "What else have you found out?"

Tor glanced back at the house, seeing Mark and Kristina in the kitchen window, staring intently at them. She led Chris over to the swinging seat in Auriella's yard. As they sat on it, she took a deep breath before she began to talk. She explained everything to him in as much detail as she could possibly muster. He listened and watched, taking in everything that dealt with his twin sister, her friends, and even himself and his little sister.

He began rocking the swing back and forth, feeling calm under the slow movements. Tor leaned back, closing her eyes and letting the movement soothe her.

"So, Hekate wants you to watch over the _Dei_, Pandora is electing you as guide to her daughters, and Selene wants you to destroy the Atrox. That's a lot of pressure," he reminded her.

"I won't be alone. I'm not sure what the Gods of Night are, but we can look out for each other, and the others while we are at it. As for Ariel and them, I'm sure they have a mentor, much as we have Jimena. Plus, I'm not the only Daughter, need I remind you," Torrence explained, smiling at her calm and rational brother.

"What about your recurring dream? You know, with the guardian and your imminent darkness and shit?"

_"Atrum est lux lucis. Lux lucis est atrum."_

"Dark is light. Light is dark. We should get that tattooed on our arms," he laughed.

"Okay," she agreed lightly.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

They fell into an easy silence. Torrence thought of her dreams where the dark and light would fight over her, calling her, and even sometimes, the dark would begin consuming her, but a guardian was always there to pull her back out. Tiberius had told her that… that Robert was the guardian. Did he mean like the one from her dreams, too?

"So, Robert, lovely guy that he is, is the guardian." He smirked at her, after she glared at him for tasting her thoughts. "We need to figure out who the other four are."

"Chris, don't you see? You're the key! Just like our mother was. You're the balance between good and evil."

"No pressure, huh?" He smiled.

"Yeah, no pressure…"

"Torrie, look, we were once lowly thirteen-year-olds who believed no one loved us because of our parents abandoning us. Now look. You and me, we can save the world. And, not to mention, I'm going to be surrounded by incredibly beautiful women."

She punched him in the arm, a sour look on her face. "You're such an idiot."

He glanced back at the house. "Do you think that this group, the _Infidi_, will try to go after Miranda?"

"No. I don't believe they even know about her."

Chris smiled and nodded. She didn't understand that, because if it was her little sister, she'd be worried, tense, and frowning, not cool, calm, and smiling. Then again, even though she hadn't known her own brother long, she understood him, and knew what kind of a guy he was. So his behavior, if strange, was certainly not out of the ordinary for _him_.

She changed the subject. "Have you guys found a house yet?"

"Yeah. We'll be moving out of that dump hotel here soon," he replied quite cheerfully.

"You know what, brother dear?"

"What's that, sister dear?"

"I am so glad that you guys decided to move back here. I'd be lost without you."

He grinned at her, chucking her under the chin. "News flash: You still are."

Chris dug into his pocket, pulling out a medium-sized package. It was wrapped in a white silk cloth tightly; no edges were coming loose as if the person wrapping it up was taking very extra special care with a very important parcel. He placed it gently in her hands, looking at her face and waiting for the startling reaction that would come. And it did. Torrie unwrapped it, gasping, her eyes widening in amazement. It was a beautiful silver chain that held a medium sized pendant of sapphire.

"That was with me when Mom and Dad found me. The original holding for the jewel was a little messed up, but the jewel survived intact. I think it was a gift from our mother."

"It's beautiful," she said in wonder, her voice small and mystified by the mere beauty that the jewel possessed.

"I want you to have it," Chris told her lightly. He waited for the next wonderful reaction, but it didn't happen as planned.

"No," Torrence automatically protested. "I can't."

He laughed, slightly confused by her firm and startling answer. He though for sure she would take it. She pushed it back, placing it in his hands again. "What am I going to with it, Tor?"

She sighed, frowned, and then lifted the necklace out of his dumbfounded hands. She slipped the chain over his head, placing it gently on his chest, where it hung and sparkled in the catching light. "What you got at birth,"—She tapped the necklace—"and what I got at birth,"—She then showed her ring to him—"I think they need to remain that way. They were given to us each for a specific reason. I really don't know what it is, but that's the way it all works."

"Don't you think this looks too girly on me?"

"Oh." She laughed. "So, now who thinks too much about what their appearance looks like?"

He glared at her, hating that she used his own words against him. "Well, it does give me that romantic-looking charm. Girls are into that."

Torrence laughed again. A second later, Chris joined in. She leaned against him, her laughter beginning to soften and then cease altogether.

"Chris, I'm scared, so scared," she whispered.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, same here. We'll get through this, though. I mean, look at us. We're too damn good to lose."

"You're always so strangely optimistic and confident," she muttered.

"Someone in our duo has to be," he sighed with exaggeration.

"I can be optimistic. When I want to be."

He rested his cheek on top of her hair, keeping his arm around her shoulder. They continued pushing the swing back, keeping the movement constant and easy.

Catty walked up to them, breaking into their soft silence, killing the twin mode, but alerting them to reality. "Hey, you two. Torrence, did Chris tell you the good news?"

"What good news?" Torrence wondered, raising an eyebrow at her brother, who just shrugged as if it hadn't mattered at the time to remember telling her.

"He'll be going to La Brea on Monday," she informed with a small squeal of excitement.

Tor smiled, smacking her brother on the arm. "That's great!"

Chris stood up. "Yeah, we'll raise some great horrors in that school." He winked. "I'll teach you everything I know."

Kyle laughed as he joined the group, pushing his son lovingly towards the car. "We'll see about that." He turned back to Torrence. "Tor, I wanted to talk to you real quick."

"Okay." She watched Miranda run past them, tugging on their brother's arm.

"You are my son's sister, so, this might seem a little strange since I have only known you for a little more than two weeks, but I do happen to think of you as my daughter as well. If you ever need a place to go, or if you ever need any help, please don't hesitate to ask me or Catty."

"Th-thank you." Tears momentarily flooded her eyes. No one had ever called her his or her daughter with such conviction. Mr. and Mrs. Saratoga never even said it aloud, even though she always felt it. It was nice to hear, though.

He kissed her forehead before walking to his car, leaving her there to wave at the family she never had, but wished she were apart of.

She watched them roll away before smiling to herself and ticking off two fingers: The Key and the Guardian. She would have to find out who Kyle and Catty were to figure out Miranda, and what Kyle had offered her just moments ago seemed to provide a wonderful and easy way to figure it all out.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Woo! Another chapter done. Come on, ya'll. Celebrate with me. I love you all, all those who review, and those who just read. But, it would be nice to drop me a little review and let me know what you're thinking.**

**Next Up: It's what we've all been waiting for. Or, at least, it's what poor Torrence has been waiting for her entire life, ever since she was young enough to understand what the word "adopted" meant. All she wanted was to be held by her mother. Plus, a little talk with Robby. Come on, he's not the bad guy here, after all…**


	19. Meeting the Dark Lady

**Part Six: Destiny**

**Chapter Eighteen: Meeting the Dark Lady**

Vanessa told Torrence that Auriella wasn't home yet. She declined an invitation by her and Michael to join them for dinner to wait, so she went on home, trudging slowly into her yard.

Kristina leaned out the kitchen door, her normally pretty face twisted in the normal hate she loved to shower on Torrence. "Don't bother coming in. If you don't want to come in and eat with us when you're supposed to, young lady, don't even bother coming home!" With that, she slammed the door in Torrie's face, and Torrie heard the lock latch into place.

Torrence grumbled. _Home? You call this stupid place a _home_ for me!_

She sighed, running her long fingers through her hair. It had been a long day. She didn't need this right now. In fact, she never needed such utter bullshit. But she guessed that was just her own bright and shining luck right there. Even so, why did Kristina have to makes things so difficult for her?

"You should have told Nessa that you would have dinner with her and Michael."

The girl from the picture Torrie had walked out of the shadows. This was Serena, her mother, the Dark Goddess. Torrie's eyes widened greatly, and her lips trembled with emotion. She looked a bit different than when she had been in the picture. Her dark hair was longer now, and more curled around the ends. Her eyes were bright and green and held the loving glint only a mother could hold while gazing at her child. The nose stud was missing, but she was in regular street clothes, like she belonged here on the world where Torrence had grown up, partly miserable, and partly satisfied with life. It was like some kind of normal visit between two people who loved each other, and not a goddess and a girl who had been separated from contact all the years the girl had lived. Serena was terribly beautiful, and Torrence just felt in awe of her own mother.

Beside her mother trotted a little black puppy. It scampered over to Torrie fearlessly, sniffing at the jeans she was wearing. She bent down, tearing her eyes reluctantly from her mother to look at the puppy as she scratched behind its ears, feeling its thick, soft fur. With ease, it pressed its wet, black nose into her palm.

Finally, she looked back up at her mother, gathering her courage. "Why did you wait fifteen years, Serena?" Torrence asked, desperate to know the truth from her distant mother.

"When I became pregnant with you and Chris, I always knew wonderful and terrible things would happen to you both. I had decided then that I had to give you both up, hoping for normal loves for you both. Selene marked you as one of her own, Hekate saw old and ancient prophecies that would involve you and Christopher, and Pandora saw the strength and wisdom you could bring to unite her kin.

"We, however, were not the only ones who saw your greatness. The Atrox saw you and your brother as great objects needing to be conquered for itself. The _Infidi_ saw you as their cash crop, basically.

"Your father tried to protect you and Chris as much as possible, without giving himself away, of course. Unfortunately, Lawrence was very deceptive and wanted to please the Atrox, so he found a way to do it. However, no great harm came to you because of the ring your father left you."

Torrence looked at her mother strangely, but didn't ask anything further on that matter. It felt like she wasn't supposed to.

"Honey, look at you. I wish I had been here to raise you instead, to see how your beauty grew each day," Serena whispered.

Torrence smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink at the compliment. She didn't think she was beautiful, not compared to her mother. She walked forward, hugging her mother. Serena held her daughter tightly in her arms. A tear slipped down her cheek as her mother cradled her. It felt so wonderful to be smothered by this strange woman. She kissed her cheek, singing a soft song in her ear. Torrie squeezed her mother to her, resting her cheek on the goddess's shoulder.

"Thank you for this, Mom."

"Of course. Now, I know you have some place to be."

"I do?" Torrie was lost now.

Serena picked up the puppy, placing it in Torrie's arms. "Take good care of him. _Atrum est lux lucis._"

In her arms, the fur of the puppy shimmered golden before turning back to black. Tor gasped and looked up at her mother, but she was already gone.

"Well, little pup, do you know who I'm supposed to see?" She asked him, but the only response she received was a lick on her nose.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Robert's muscles rippled as he moved up and down, grunting a bit as he went up, and letting out a little sigh as he went back down near the floor. Torrence watched him a few seconds longer as he did his push-ups before letting Phobos the Puppy go. The puppy, very energetic, leapt up onto the stage, attacking Robby with his amazingly cold nose. She heard him laugh, asking the pup where he had come from.

Not being able to stay in the shadows much longer, Torrie stepped forward. "Why did you lie to me, Robbie? Why was everything you told me a lie?" She asked quietly, as if not wanting to even have the conversation forced upon her.

He sat up, cradling the puppy in his arms, petting him, as he looked down at her, his sapphire eyes soft. "Not everything was a lie."

"You lied about not knowing my parents."

"That was one little thing."

"Why didn't you just tell me it all!" She cried out, her voice rising up a few notches, bordering on hysterical.

"I had meant to, okay? This was before I came here. I learned about this studio and had your partner move. My power as a Son is imitation. That's how I can dance the way I do. But then I saw you… I had known what things were supposed to be. I knew I was the Guardian from the prophecy, and I knew that I was supposed to protect you…"

She walked over to the stage, pulling herself onto it. Phobos ran across her lap a few times. Robert scooted closer to her, careful to keep his distance at the same time.

"What about Maria? What about _everything_ else?"

"When I met you, I didn't want for you to be who you were. I tried everything to keep my distance, but then that was when you disappeared. I went crazy with worry. Stanton went crazy with worry.

"When you came back, I lost control. Torrence, you can't imagine what it was like being with you. I realized that I had to let you go. So I fooled around with Maria," Robert explained, as if his expressions and explanations would be enough to satisfy the goddess next to him.

Tor pulled Phobos into her lap, petting him. "If you want to be with me, why won't you just let yourself? You know how I feel…"

"Before I was knighted, Hekate visited me. Of course, I hadn't known she was my real mother, then. She predicted the future. I had heard of the prophecy before, but I hadn't realized my part in it until I was kidnapped and made a slave in Nefandus. She told me that I would find my true one when the Dark One employed me.

"I have waited for hundreds of years to find you, but our love comes with a great price. If we becomes something, we'll lose one of our group, one of the _Dei Nox Noctis_. I can't take that chance. You understand that, don't you?"

"What do you want me to do then?" Her anger smoldered dangerously beneath the surface. "Sit there and watch you with Maria, knowing how you feel for me, knowing our destiny together?"

"Yes." The answer was so simple, and yet, so utterly painful to hear.

Torrence sighed, closed her eyes, and scooped up her dog. "I won't give up. Not ever," she added with harsh determination. She slid off the stage, ready to leave, to think.

"Let me take you home, Torrie," he begged softly.

"I'll walk."

"I do love you," he whispered.

She stopped her retreat, but she kept her calm and didn't turn. "I know you do. It's what makes this so damned bitter. What's worse, I love you, too."

"One day," Robby called out. "They can't decide everything."

"Maybe one day I will have found someone else, hm?"

She continued on out. Phobos squirmed in her tightening embrace, but she hushed him, and he seemed to understand her urgency for him to remain tranquil.

Why would something like this happen? Why would they be soul mates, only to be kept apart by their destiny?

"This destiny bullshit gets old," she whispered into the night air of Los Angeles.

**There are four more chapters to go! Are ya'll ready for the end? I'll dedicate the next chapter to anyone who can tell me what Phobos means!**

**Next up: Torrence has been kicked out of the house she grew up in, and the only parents she has ever known don't want anything to do with her. She thinks she's alone, but realizes who she really has. But will Torrie live with her "other" family, or will a tugging in her heart lead her somewhere else?**


	20. Abandoned

**Part Seven: The Victory**

**Chapter Nineteen: Abandoned**

Torrence sighed as everyone in the room began to argue with each other over the silliest thing: her. There was Charlie, Michael and Vanessa, Jimena and Collin, Catty and Kyle, Mr. And Mrs. Mitchells (Blaze's parents), Derek Green, and all of the assorted kids.

This was how the entire argument started.

When Torrence had finally trudged back on home, Mark had the cops waiting for her. He had tried getting her arrested on charges of robbery. In the same breath, he had also given up his and his wife's parental rights over her. Thanks to the character witnessing of Vanessa and Michael, the police left after issuing the Hudsons' a ticket for trying to file a false charge.

So, Torrence and Phobos were now homeless and parentless. But the way things seemed to be going, it wouldn't be for long.

Michael and Vanessa's argument was that Tor and Ella had been best friends for years. Vanessa had practically raised Torrence. They felt as if she was their daughter anyway.

Charlie's argument was that she, too, had raised Torrence. Charlie already had a ward, a huge home, and money to take care of all the things Torrie would need.

Jimena and Collin's argument was that Torrence was their niece. Serena had been Collin's younger sister, and it was only right that he raise her daughter (which sparked harsh words from Kyle about Chris).

Of course, Catty and Kyle's argument was Chris. The two were twins. Why would you separate them now when they had just found each other?

The Mitchells and Derek, strange candidates indeed, were offering their own homes because of the friendships developed between their daughters and Torrence. If Tor needed a home, they would gladly help her.

Torrence smiled softly at all of them. This was really breaking her heart. She had always felt alone and unloved, but she really had a loving family her entire life. For this, she loved each and every one of them.

"I'm sorry. I'm not living with any of you," Torrence announced.

The entire room became deathly silent. Everyone stopped his or her petty arguments, turning to stare directly at her. Chris gave her a funny look as he swept through her mind.

She had made this decision even before they all got together. Even though it had been horrible, she had felt safe with the Hudsons. Now that she had been thrown out, her feelings were telling her that no matter how much she loved all these people, she just wouldn't feel safe in their homes. She was being called elsewhere.

"What do you mean, Torrence?" Vanessa finally asked the question burning in everyone's minds.

"I mean, I'm not moving in with any of you," Torrie replied.

"You're only fifteen. You can't live on your own," Collin reminded her gently of her age and limits.

"I know that. I'm not living on my own. I have some place to go."

She actually had nowhere to go. Not yet, anyway. It sounded a whole lot better when she said that she did have a place to go, so as to not worry them as much.

Later on, as they all finally began to file out, Torrence caught up to Kyle, pulling him away. She needed to speak with him in private.

"Last night, you said that if I needed any help, you'd provide it. I need a place to live," she stated her dilemma quickly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

"I thought you had a place," Kyle laughed.

"Yeah, okay, I lied. But I can't live with any of you. It's really hard to explain, so don't ask. I really don't care who it is I have to live with…"

"This has something to do with being a Daughter?"

"How did you know about that? Did Chris-"

"I guess I'm going to have to tell you a few things. How about I take you to dinner tonight. I can tell you about me and Catty, and you can meet the person you'll be staying with."

"Are you sure they'll let me?" Torrence asked skeptically.

"Yes." He kissed her forehead. "You are a lot like your mother. I didn't know her for long, but it was easy to see what character she had."

She hugged him tightly, glowing under the compliment. "Thank you."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Sitting in the booth with her stomach in knots over her nerves wasn't exactly how Torrence had planned on spending her evening. That was because she hadn't expected Kyle to find a guy to provide a home for her. Especially a guy who had an incredibly funny and totally hot son. A son he had brought with him.

"Um, Kyle…" Her voice was shaky. "Please, don't discuss this now." She was talking about her being a Daughter and all the jazz that came with it.

"Torrence, they already know," Kyle informed her.

Tor's mouth dropped open. Did the whole world know? "Kyle!"

Obie smiled at her. Yes, his name was Obie, and he had happened to also be a Son of the Dark, and he knew of the things no one else believed in. But here he was, Obie Carter and his son, Nikolas, believing every word coming out of Kyle's mouth.

"What I need to know is, why, Torrence? Why do you want to live with strangers?" Obie asked her.

"It's not something I want to talk about," she mumbled.

Nikolas laughed. "Don't listen to what Dad asks. Or says. He enjoys the fact that you're coming to live with us. Trust me, he'll dote on you."

Obie mumbled something and shot a friendly glare at his son. Torrence smiled awkwardly. She was just looking for a hidden refuge, but maybe, just maybe, she would enjoy herself with the Carters.

"I wouldn't mind that," she said softly. All of a sudden, she felt a bit shy. She had never been very shy in her life, but it was a heavy feeling, watching the two of them play.

Nikolas smiled at her, his eyes bright. He was so cute, an exact look-a-like of his father. His smile made her stomach flutter some.

Kyle placed a hand on her head in a loving gesture. "She can be a problem kid. Just like Chris."

"Hey!" She exclaimed. "I've been going back to school…"

**Next Up: Torrence finally goes up against Tymmie with the Daughters, showing him that they aren't a force to mess with. Also, the identity of the fourth PD is known!**


	21. Defeating Tymmie

**AN: Omg! Almost at the end!**

**Part Seven: The Victory**

**Chapter Twenty: Defeating Tymmie**

And just like that, Torrence had a new home. She had already begun to move her things into the apartment Obie lived in, which was actually pretty big for an apartment. It was more like a really nice small house with its three bedrooms, massive living room, beautiful kitchen and dining area, not to mention the amazing _two_ bathrooms.

But though she was beginning to move in her things, she hadn't actually moved in. As in, she wasn't sleeping there, even though Obie had asked her to move in immediately, bed or no bed. He threatened to put her in his room and proposed to take the couch instead. She smiled, waving him off. There was still something that she had to do first, before she made the move permanent.

She needed to get the infamous Tymmie off her back.

First thing Monday morning was to call Ariel before she headed off to school. Granted, the little pixie wasn't too excited to be woken up so early, but upon hearing the message she was to deliver, she lightened up. Ariel was reluctant to do it, despite Torrie's reasons. After a long attempt, Ariel finally agreed, and Torrence got to school late.

The next thing on her list was to get "her" team together. As much as she would have enjoyed crushing Tymmie beneath her awesomely wonderful three inch heels by herself, help would be greatly desired. So, she called each of them up, telling them all to meet at Auriella's house to discuss her plan.

"And we are doing this, why?" Hailley asked crudely, blowing on her fingernails. She had just painted them Faerie Princess Pink, Ella's favorite shade. Surprise, surprise.

Blaze groaned. "Hailley!" She tugged at the girl's now blonde hair.

Torrence twitched on seeing that again. So, Ariel seemed to be right. Now, Hailley's hair was the exact same shade of blonde that was in her crippling vision.

"What?" Hailley exclaimed tiredly. "I just don't think we should go out, purposely getting ourselves into unnecessary trouble."

"Would you rather have Tymmie find Torrence first without us there to help her?" Auriella asked her, her patience with this _fake_ blonde running too thin.

"Well…No. Of course not! It's just that…We were up against—"

"Don't even say it, Hail. It is _your_ fault that we lost that fight. If you hadn't been so damned wreck—"

"Let's not start," Torrence interrupted, hoping to nip the problem in the butt.

"Tor's right, you two. Let's focus our energy on Tor's plan. Not each other," Ella agreed.

"How do we know that we're not getting set up here?" Hailley questioned, her distrust in everyone's but Torrie's mouth.

Torrence looked her straight in the eye, satisfied at the drama queen's shiver. "We don't. They are as much a threat to us as the Atrox is. We need to establish where they all stand against us."

Hailley sighed. "Torrence, as our semi-fearless leader, I'll trust you. But you have to promise not to get us killed! I'm going to be famous one day."

Another groaned escaped Blaze's mouth as she threw a pillow at Hailley's too-big head.

Torrence laughed some, before her tone turned serious again. "Stop playing around now. This is my plan."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Torrence stared out at the water, awaiting the imminent arrival of Tymmie, her new enemy. She could only pray now that Ariel came through for her. And that she and her sisters would make it through the night with little damage.

Against her chest, her moon amulet thrummed to life and began its strange glow. She heard Tymmie call out her name in that disgusting, arrogant way of his. She wore an icy smile as she turned around to face him.

"So, my dearest Torrence, why is it that you have summoned me?" Tymmie gave her a quick glance, but was sorely disappointed by her meager attempts at a "goddess" attire.

Tor remembered the stories that Vanessa would rarely share about how the previous Daughters, when going for a showdown, would dress up near skank-like. Unfortunately for Tymmie, and maybe whoever was next on her list, Torrence wasn't exactly into the "dressing up for a fight". Like now, not being in the mood to actually be looking sexy, she wore her favorite pair of sweats, a white beater, and her all-occasions sneakers. Her thick black hair had been brushed back away from her face, placed in a nice and very simple ponytail. She wasn't sure what would happen here.

"I called you, Tymmie, because I have a very important message for you," Torrence told him, not exactly lying, but not exactly letting him know that it wasn't a verbal message.

"Oh? Is that right? Would this particular message be from your father?"

"No. It's from us," Hailley announced. The other girls, along with the new blonde, stepped out of the shadows, smiling, and equally wondering if Tymmie had already know that.

Tymmie looked at each one of them, not at all surprised. He was the right-hand man of Lambert, after all. "Looks like you brought the whole gang down to play."

He threw his hand out, causing Auriella to fly back, her body hitting the ground with impact. "I don't think so, little firestarter." When she landed, flames snaked out onto the grass around her, as if the attack on her opened a cage full of flaming serpents. "You think I'm dumb, _dea_? I have been in this game a long time. Do you really believe these tricks will hurt me?"

Torrence lifted her chin in defiance, feeling more than a bit stubborn. "Yes." But even saying it didn't make her feel it. Deep down, her stomach churned with terrible thoughts. Thoughts that had left her friends' dead. Thoughts that she shouldn't have even been thinking.

"I love your energy. Come with me, Torrence. Join the_ Infidi_."

Torrence burst out laughing. "You just don't understand, Tymmie! I hold all the cards!" Really, though, she didn't.

Tymmie barked his own shriek of laughter. He felt her fears and doubts, mentally pushing his way into her. She imagined her ice walls, placing them up, hoping to keep him from her mind. He wormed in through the holes she made herself, his sick laugh pulsing in her mind.

Even as she began to sink to the ground, pushed there by Tymmie's power, she felt another force build up. Something pure. Her mind squirmed as she held onto the hop of the purity, willing her body to work for her, not against her. Then her body freed itself, and the pain subsided as she fell to her knees, gasping for the breath she thought she couldn't have anymore. Looking up, she saw Tymmie, stuck in mid-stride, as if frozen in time.

Slowly, she looked towards the figure of Blaze, who was holding hands with Hailley. "How did you do that?" she gasped out.

"Wasn't me who did it," Blaze said, shrugging and tilting her head towards the girl who held her hand.

"But…Hailley…" Torrence looked at Hailley now, more than simply confused.

Both girls came to her, each taking one side and hoisting her up. Hailley giggled. "I'm not actually Hailley. I'm Blaze."

"Um…"

"It's a long story," the real Hailley whispered through Blaze's mouth. "We don't really have the time. No pun intended."

"What we did to Tymmie won't last long," Blaze added through Hailley's mouth.

Auriella groaned in the distance, finally sitting up, her head in her hands. She looked down at the frozen flames coming from her. "What's going on?"

"Tor," Blaze said, wiping some blood that slid from the corner of their leader's mouth, "whatever you were planning to do, do it now."

"No. I'm sure what you two did to his will be good enough. We've won this battle. Well, you and Hailley did."

"We couldn't have done it without you distracting him," Hailley offered, now back in her own body.

Torrence winced at that. He had such a terrible hold on her…

"Good," came Ella's beautiful voice, cutting through her dark thoughts. "Let's get out of here. My back is killing me."

"Yeah. That's definitely the best idea. My mom is going to kill me!" Blaze laughed as her and Hailley carried Torrie out of the park.

"No," Torrie whispered, her voice faltering. "You need to go to Ella's house, Blaze." She wasn't sure where this new insight was coming from, but now she could clearly see her vision as it ran over her mind over and over, as if it were a looped video. "Her mom has something to give you."

"She does?" Auriella and Blaze asked at the same time.

"Yeah… You two go on and get there. Hailley can help me."

"Hailley can?" The drama queen asked.

"Yeah. We have to talk about something anyway."

"Oh. What now? Didn't I redeem myself with that battle?"

"Well, your damn choice of hair color."

Torrence let out a deep sigh, resting her head on Hail's shoulder. Hailley supported her with some ease as they waited for the cab she had just called.

**Sorry, if this scene wasn't what you expected. Some mysteries solved. As in, who the fourth PD is. Blaze, of course! See, Torrence was seeing Blaze in Hailley as they did their wonderful body-switching that was introduced in Shimmering Moonstones. And now we have some new mysteries. Like about the body switching. Lol.**

**Next Up: Well, it's the end. The two final chapters where Tor resumes her semi-normal life and has yet another enlightening conversation with Hekate.**


	22. Identity Revealed

**Part Seven: The Victory**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Identity Revealed**

"Torrence, wake up." A gentle shake on her shoulder caused her to rouse and groan, the injuries from the battle still quite evident in her new sleeping pattern.

A familiar weight bounced over her stomach as Phobos eagerly licked her face in his wake-up greeting. She opened her eyes cautiously, and four greeted her in return.

"Morning already?" Torrie mumble, half-dead.

Obie nodded happily. "I have breakfast made, if you're hungry."

"It's not raw meat, is it?" She joked, grinning lopsided at him.

"Kyle told you about that?" He groaned playfully, letting his blonde hair hang over his face.

"I'll be out in a few minutes," she assured him, smiling. Her new foster father smiled in return and left her alone, shutting the door behind him as he exited her room.

Torrie sat up, yawning terribly. It was a bright, early Saturday morning. In fact, it was too bright and early. She just wanted to crawl back under her covers and sleep the headache away. Instead, she scratched behind the puppy's ears for a few minutes, cupping his plush, black face before finally crawling out of her beautiful and new bed. She stumbled to the dresser in the corner, grabbing some loose clothes, and finally got into her own private bathroom.

After a quick rousing shower, she grabbed a little breakfast for Obie's sake, sliding into a chair across from her foster brother in the dining room.

"What are your plans for today?" Nikolas asked her after she had sat down and began digging into her food.

She finished up the sausage she had been slaughtering before answering. "I'm going to a friend's house for awhile. Then I have to go to Charlie's. I miss my dancing. Why?"

"Oh, uh, no reason. Just curious," Nikolas smiled and sighed at the same time.

She smiled back at him before going back to her food. "You know, if you get too bored, Nick, you can come to Charlie's. She could always use another guy dancer."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

She was meeting the Pandora Daughters at Giselle's this time. Torrence grinned at them happily as she was let inside. Finally, with a burst of intense laughter, she fell straight into Ariel's lap, who sighed with the relief of knowing that Torrence was definitely okay.

"What are you so happy about?" Ariel asked, wrapping her arms around Tor's waist in a small, relieved hug.

"Well, I have some very excellent news for you all," Torrie announced.

Gissele squeaked, kissing Tiberius on the lips quickly before screaming out," Torrence found her! Torrence found the fourth!"

Ariel looked at Torrence closely. "Did you really?"

"Is it really her?" Evangelina asked, her excitement rising.

"Yes! I did!"

The two other girls piled onto Ariel and Torrie, laughing and hugging.

"Okay!" Ariel cried. "Let her tell us who it is, you idiots."

Vange and Giselle pulled back, looking at Tor with excitement.

"She's a Daughter, like I told you all before. Her name is Blaze Mitchells."

"Oh! That's the goth girl, right?" Vange asked.

"Yeah. She's the goth. There's more, though."

"More?" Giselle looked at her funny. What more could there possibly be?

"Well, I know you guys thought maybe I would be like your mentor, but actually, you already have one. I think Pandora only enlisted me as the hired help."

"So, who's the mentor?"

"Her name is Vanessa Saratoga, and she was once a Daughter of the Moon. And Mischief."

"We really can never repay you for all of this, Torrence," Ariel told her softly, her gratitude evident in her voice.

"Hey. I got five new friends out of the deal. We're even. Plus, you guys know I'll always be around."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Robert's hands rested on her hips as they moved slowly to the music. She melted into him, knowing the correct mold of his body to hers. It was like he was reading her soul, knowing which way to lead her, or where to give her room as she tried out a new move or perfected an old one. She could feel all eyes on her as she danced. Her hands ran up his arms. It felt so safe here, in his arms, so natural.

"Good, good. That's all for today," Charlie said dismissively.

Robert smiled, laying a hand on her shoulder as he took deep breaths. "You seemed so peaceful today. Everything is okay, right?"

She smiled back, no malice in her eyes or voice. "Maria has no faith in you. You should feel those intense waves rushing off of her."

"So," Nikolas said as she stepped off the stage, "that's belly dancing."

"Yeah. Did you enjoy it?"

"Now, if I said yes, would that be weird, me being your brother and all now?"

"Nick, technically, I'm not your sister. At all," she stressed. She smiled curiously at her own words. Where had they come from?

He pushed a strand of hair out of her face, grinning at her words as well. "Well, then, you looked great."

She blushed a bit at the gesture, but was sure he couldn't see it in her flushed cheeks. "Thanks."

"If you're not busy tonight, you want to come to my band's concert?"

"You asking me out?"

"No. I figured that with so much in common, you'd like to see me at my talent," Nikolas said.

Tor perked an eyebrow. "So much in common?"

"Well, we both live in the same apartment. We both have to listen to my dad. You don't live with your brother, I don't live with my sisters. We're both so damn cute. And we both have those little magical ties," he listed, ticking off his fingers as he did, a cute little grin on his handsome face.

She looked into his eyes, seeing the deep blue. His blonde hair blew into his face as they stepped outside of the studio. She suddenly had a strange urge to sweep it aside, but she kept the urge in check.

"Okay. I'd love to come to the concert."

"Great! See, Alessandro, Emma, Sarah, and Tom are going to be there. You can invite whoever you want, too."

"Who are those four?"

"Well, Alessandro is Berto's son. And Emma and Tom are Samuel's kids. Sarah's a good friend of ours."

She remembered Berto and Samuel from Kyle's tale of the Sons.

"Awesome. I know just who to invite, too."

After all, her team, the Daughters of the Moon, needed a little celebration of their own.

**Uh-oh! Could there be new romance brewing for our little Torrence? With her foster brother? Dun dun dun.**


	23. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

Torrence stared out the window. She turned when she felt another presence gathered into her room. The woman was old, with long salt-and-pepper hair, her eyes a bottomless pit of black. The woman took a step towards her. Torrence lowered her head in respect.

"Hello, Hekate. What do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" Tor laughed as she sounded so formal with the goddess.

Hekate smiled softly back at her. "Tiberius and Robert are wrong. I thought that maybe you should know that."

"Wrong about what?" Torrence asked, confused now by the goddess' straight-to-the-point attitude.

"Him being your guardian. Think about it dear. In your dreams, which side does the guardian come from?"

"The light…" She answered meekly.

"Robert is from the shadows. No matter how great he is, my son is from the shadows."

"Then…Then he can't be _my_ guardian. He's just…The Guardian." Torrence looked at Hekate. What did this all mean for her and the future?

"You have a huge destiny to accomplish. This was only your first test. Many more are sure to come, many more you need to stand against. I'm afraid, however, that you will not succeed until you find your guardian. You are a mixture of the light and shadows, like your brother. The Atrox and Infidi will try and persuade you to their sides. Only you can choose where to stay."

"My brother, why does he not have to have a guardian?"

"Christopher, though mixed, has lived in the light. The shadows can't touch him. You are not sure where you stand. And every battle you fight will make you question yourself more and more. You are, after all, the daughter of Stanton."

"What about me and Robert? Is there a future for us?"

"My son misread what I told him. Maybe he's your soul mate, maybe not. Think about this. What if your soul mate was a woman? That doesn't mean you like women. It just means that there will always be someone there to help you out, someone you can rely on to love you.

"A colleague of mine, Anubis, his children have predetermined soul mates, but they have found others they love and want to be with. Soul mates are not just someone you're supposed to be with forever."

She smiled again before disappearing. In her mind, she heard _Be safe, Princess_ Dea.

Torrence glanced over at her sleeping puppy. "You think these is another guy for me, Phobos?" His furry ears perked up at the sound of his name being whispered.

**Well, that's it for Visions of Ice. . The next PD story will be about Blaze, but before that, I have a side story to put up about Ariel and the other Pandora Girls, that will answer a lot of questions about Chosen One. I hope you all enjoyed Torrie's story. Don't worry, she'll be back soon. After all, she has to find the other Gods of Night and her guardian.**


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